My Boyfriend is Naruto?
by wubbzy
Summary: "Please, Sakura-hime, why can't I be with you?" Rikuto asked. "Because I already have a boyfriend, and he's...he's Naruto!" Wait, did I just say Naruto? Sakura asked herself in disbelief. Rating T. NaruSaku.
1. Mission: Escort the Prince

_AN:_ Alright, before you begin your journey through this tale (because this will be the only author's note you'll see till the very end of the story in chapter 10-although I might have a footnote or two), please remember I wrote this when I was twelve, so don't be surprised if it's not up to par with my new works, alright? Since there were so many people who liked it, I couldn't bear to delete this since it's easy to fix the grammar. However, the plot itself wasn't as good as I thought it was back then. This was basically my little story when I was first learning the ropes of fanfiction. Also the bonus scenes at the end of the chapters are either deleted scenes or just to 'satirize' my twelve year old self's inefficiency to construct a feasible plot without plot holes (eh, spoofs). If that didn't scare you away and you are still planning to read this… enjoy! (If you don't enjoy, please don't complain because I already warned you).

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own Naruto.

**.**

_A NaruSaku Fanfiction_**_  
_****Author:**_wubbzy_**_  
_**_Count: 2680_

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**My Boyfriend is…Naruto?**

.

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_We don't realize what's there_

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**Chapter One**

**_Mission: Escort the Prince!_**

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The sweet scent of cherry blossoms filled his nostrils, enticing his senses. It was clear even when he felt a bit dizzy by the high inducing scent of _her, _his problematic addiction. Naruto and Sakura were walking on a path that had a bountiful number of cherry blossom trees. Rosy cheeks were visible on both when their small glances caught each other's eyes. They walked hand in hand but decided to take a seat to capture the beautiful scenery.

"Oh Naruto! I know how I _was _madly in love with that stupid head, Sasuke, but now I know that it's you. Naruto, you're my one and only true love," Sakura confessed, holding that cute blush Naruto loved to see her with. Naruto grinned from ear to ear.

"I love you too, Sakura-chan. I always did, and I always will. I'll be the one to cherish and love you every day of my life. I'll be the one to always make you happy," he declared. Sakura blushed, twiddling the red fabric that was her dress.

"Naruto, you make me the happiest girl in the world. You know what would make me even happier? If you give me a…kiss," Sakura exclaimed with alacrity. She spoke in a very girlish fashion with her index finger over her lips. Naruto's eyes widened in astonishment. The cherry blossom petals blew across as the wind made his nose smell the scent of cherry blossoms even more. His face adorned a blush. Did he hear her right?

"Uh…of course, Sakura-chan!" His sheepish smile was visible, and his awkward chuckles strained both their ears. He tried his best to act cool. Taking a gulp, the gap between the two started getting closer and closer, inch by inch.

_"This feeling. Why am I getting this feeling? Wait a second, when would Sakura-chan say this, let alone do this?"_ Naruto asked himself. _"Eh, oh well, who cares."_ He dismissed his questioning, since…well, it's Sakura. He was thinking too much about it anyways. Their lips were only but a few centimeters away when-

**SMACK!**

"AAAHHH!" he shouted in astonishment and a lot of pain. He frantically looked up, only to see the girl of his dreams looking down on him…with killer intent.

_"Ugh,"_ Naruto thought in displeasure. _"I knew that dream was too good to be true."_

"NA-RU-TO!" Sakura growled, a bit of bitterness in her tone along with anger – a lot of anger. Naruto whimpered, knowing things weren't going to end well for him. Though, what had he done? "What exactly were you dreaming about? And don't lie to me; you talk in your sleep."

_"Oh crap!"_ Naruto thought. _"How do I get out of this one?"_

"Uh, well, you see…" Naruto began to explain. "I was just…just. Hehehe." He scratched the back of his neck. Naruto started to laugh sheepishly. Sakura sighed in annoyance.

"Naruto. You could be such a pervert at times," she told him in disappointment as she crossed her arms. She shivered at the thought of her name being said in such a way; it kind of scared her.

"It was COMPLETELY innocent, I swear! Hey this isn't that dream I have where we-" Naruto was smacked in the head by the pink haired kunoichi. She did _not _want to hear the end of that sentence.

"I guess I'm mistaken. You can be a pervert all the time," she corrected herself.

"Hey! At least I'm not like Ero-sennin!" Naruto retorted.

"True, but maybe you should cool it on spending so much time with Jiraiya-sama. Geez…" Sakura let out a long sigh, sitting down with her tired muscles sore and aching. She sat there until Naruto asked a question.

"As much as I enjoy your company Sakura-chan, why are you here this early in the morning?" he asked the girl.

"First of all, it's the afternoon," she stated. "Second and foremost, we've been summoned by Tsunade-sama."

"Alright! Baa-chan gave us a new mission! I hope it's a dangerous one or something! We haven't had a mission in a while!" Naruto yelled in bliss.

"I don't think you should be hoping for a dangerous mission, idiot. I'll be waiting outside while you change."

"Right." He beamed while Sakura walked out of his room.

Once he finished getting ready, Naruto walked out and locked the door when he noticed Sakura leaning against the door frame.

"Took you long enough." Sakura scowled. She thought it was girls who took long. She hadn't even taken that long!

"Sorry Sakura-chan," he apologized. Afterwards, the two ran to the Hokage tower.

_Knock, knock, knock…_

"Hey, Baa-chan! Open up already!" Naruto called out, banging on the door.

"Naruto! Can you be a little more respectful?" Sakura asked, irritated at the blond bringing cacophony to her ears.

"Enter!" Tsunade announced. Naruto looked around to see Sasuke and Kakashi already present.

"Hey Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto greeted.

"Good morning Kakashi-sensei. Good morning Sasuke-kun," she greeted as well, saying Sasuke's name with more enthusiasm with a blush adorning her cheeks. Naruto groaned at the girl's actions in frustration. Kakashi waved, while Sasuke gave a small grunt in response, also giving a small wave.

"Now that all of you are here, listen up! I'm going to assign you a B-rank mission. The mission is to escort a prince to Earth Country. I warn you now: there will be ninja of the grass that are trying to assassinate the prince. Be on the lookout," Tsunade cautioned.

"Yes," they all said in unison and nodded.

"Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked.

"Yes?"

"Who is this prince, and what does he look like?" she asked in curiosity.

"I can honestly say I don't know, but Kakashi will be the one to retrieve him, and take him to the gates, which means that's where you all will meet. Is that clear?" she demanded.

"Yes."

"You are all dismissed." They turned to leave, when Tsunade had one more piece of advice."Oh, by the way, you might have to stay on guard in Earth Country, which is depended on how this mission is going to go. If there are ninja chasing him… and please, do not do anything stupid that can cause this village any trouble." They all glared at the blonde.

"Hey, why are you all looking at me?" he asked. Tsunade sighed and began to shuffle papers before she looked at Sakura.

"Sakura! Be careful around the prince," she warned.

"Why is that, Tsunade-sama?" she asked as her head tilted in curiosity.

"Oh, no reason. Just watch yourself, okay? Pack up and meet in the next thirty minutes by the gates." They all nodded in response, saying a "yes," and turned to leave.

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_Thirty minutes later…_

Impatience, irritation, and frustration were all the emotions of the three young ninja's waiting for their sensei. A very unpunctual sensei was very tardy with no prince, but this was merely an understatement.

"Damn that Kakashi-sensei! Ugh! Hurry up!" Naruto exclaimed. As Naruto shook his head in frustration, a puff of smoke appeared, revealing Kakashi-sensei right then.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late. I just had to valiantly help the poor old lady with her bags across the street." Kakashi grinned, knowing that expression on their faces all too well.

"You're late Kakashi-sensei! No excuses!" Both Sakura and Naruto pointed, fuming in anger as Sasuke merely gave a sigh of annoyance in response.

"So, let's get a move on, shall we?" Kakashi smiled, really wanting to change the subject quickly.

"Wait, where's the prince?" Sakura asked.

"Right, he's-" Kakashi stepped to the right to reveal the prince's presence. "Right here!" Kakashi let out a smile…under his mask. Sakura's and Naruto's eyes bulged out. Even Sasuke's eyes widened. They couldn't help but notice how _lame_ his appearance and fashion was.

_"Whoa, what's up with the yellow spandex?"_ Naruto thought, still shocked.

_"Look at that hair,"_ Sakura thought, referring how his hair had a very old guy's hair cut. And you think that's bad, just look at what made Naruto and Sakura petrified.

_"What the hell? His eyebrows are bushier than Lee's!" _they both thought in unison.

"Is this really the prince?" Sakura asked incredulously. She tried her best to give a smile, although it looked forced.

"Yes, this is Prince Rikuto," Kakashi told them. He turned to face him and pointed to Sasuke. "This is Uchiha, Sasuke."

"Hey," Sasuke greeted, bowing in respect.

"This is Uzumaki, Naruto." Kakashi pointed to Naruto. Naruto grinned, giving a greeting to the prince, so Sakura grabbed his head and made him bow as she sheepishly laughed when Kakashi turned to Sakura.

"And this is Haruno, Sakura." Sakura gave out a grin as well, bowing as well.

"Okay, now that we introduced ourselves, we should get a move on."

"Wait one second!" the prince called dramatically. They all turned to stare his way. "Before we go," Rikuto began. The prince held a big red blush on his face, looking quite flustered. His entire face was a rosy red. He walked towards Sakura, grabbing her hand. "Malady, it is a pleasure to be acquainted with you. I do hope we can be more than acquaintances when this is over." He held a perverted look on his face that caused Sakura to shiver in disgust. This was going to be scary. The prince was about to kiss her hand, when Naruto made sure to get in the way of the two. He held a furious look on his face. He was not having any of this.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing flirting with Sakura-chan?" Naruto yelled with his fist clenched. "Watch, if you lay one finger on her I'm going to-" you could only hear Naruto mumbled, incoherent words after that, for his mouth was covered by his teammate's hands. They all turned around, away from the prince.

"Naruto, you idiot! What do you think you're doing?" Sakura whispered out, menace still in her voice despite the attempt to keep quiet. He looked up towards her with confusion visible in his eyes and was incredulous to what the angelic voice said.

"You can't talk to our client like that dobe! You have such a big mouth you know, you should shut it for once." Sasuke glared at the blonde.

"Naruto, try to calm down," Kakashi whispered out.

"Besides, I can take care of myself!" Sakura pointed out.

"I know that Sakura-chan. But, but it just ticks me off! I can't believe he'd try something like that with you." Naruto crossed his arms in childish defiance.

"That doesn't mean I need to be protected. I'm not as useless as before, Naruto," she said, holding not only a poignant expression, but a saddened tone.

"No, no! I never meant to make you think that's what I feel about you! You were never useless or anything of the sort Sakura-chan! Don't think-" Naruto tried to explain in a panic. Sakura let out a sigh.

"I know Naruto," she said in annoyance. He really did talk too much. She looked over to the prince, resulting in shivers going down her spine. "Geez, now I know why Tsunade-sama said to be careful."

"Well, I should tell you now. Do not get the prince upset by any means, got it?"

"Why?" they all asked.

"The reason is because he's obviously the prince of Earth Country. If we upset him in any way, chances are that just a little outburst to upset him can cause real trouble, and our alliance might be reevaluated.

It would be a war that we will be short of a lot of ninja after that last war broke out against the Sand and Sound village. Please, don't do anything to upset him, got it?" he asked firmly. They all nodded in response. Kakashi turned to the prince, showing that he was smiling by the way his eye turned into an upside down u. "I'm sorry for the delay Prince Rikuto, but we just had to clear a few things up. Now then, shall we go?" he asked.

"Took you long enough," he retorted with a scowl as he walked on with smug and arrogant stature. They all left through the gates of Konoha with feelings of concern, disgust, and nonchalance. Next stop, Earth Country! That is, if they don't encounter grass ninja first.

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**Bonus Scene**

**_Dreams and a Creeper!_**

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Naruto and the gang were all making their way through the green forest. They all could even hear the birds chirping and the peace and tranquil of everything for once. That wasn't right. Sakura decided to make conversation since the mood seemed surprisingly dull.

"Hey, Naruto, exactly what were you dreaming about, seriously? You never said anything," she reminded. It caused Naruto's eyes to widen, wondering why she would actually bring that up again. His face heated in embarrassment. Kakashi held an amused expression.

"Have you been reading Jiraiya's books?" he asked, when Naruto denied it immediately. Kakashi chuckled at his denial: no one could resist the Ichi Ichi series.

"Well, he does do some really weird things in his sleep actually. I once caught him kissing that Kakashi plushy he has-"

"Shut up teme!" Naruto called, making Sasuke smirk.

"It was kind of funny, he had his limbs wrapped around it as if he were-"

"I said shut up!" Naruto interrupted so he wouldn't say any other embarrassing things in front of Sakura. Sakura began to giggle along with the rest of them.

"Hey, why do you have that plushy of me anyways?" Kakashi asked a bit freaked out upon pondering.

"I never got stuffed animals as a kid, so it's the only thing I have!" Naruto exclaimed, feeling that was a pretty darn good excuse. Really, the true reason might never be revealed.

"Still, a Kakashi plushy? But why-"

"Can we just drop this?" Naruto asked in frustration as he ruffled his hair. They were about to force him to burn the damn thing.

"That's good, because you still haven't told me what you dreamed aboutk," Sakura reminded, making Naruto curse under his breath. He sighed, ready to tell the truth.

"Sakura-chan, the truth is I always dream of you! And we were together and you wanted me to beat up Sasuke and… and we were going to kiss, but then you smacked me," Naruto said as he sighed. "Actually, there was something else too, we had confessed-"

"What the rubbish is this? That's just disgusting! Sakura-hime would never do something like that! You don't deserve her precious lips that should only belong to me!" Rikuto said, on the side lines until someone said Sakura and someone other than him would kiss each other.

"What you say?" Naruto growled in anger. "First of all, Sakura doesn't belong to you and second-"

"Okay you two, break it up." Sasuke sighed, extending his arm between the two boys as sparks of anger crossed each other.

"Geez, honestly, you two need to stop it now. But seriously though Naruto, you're turning into a creeper," Kakashi said, while Sakura shivered at the thought. Naruto crossed his arms glaring at all of them. He didn't want to say anything else before he was being accused of being a weirdo or something. Sakura giggled knowing kissing either of them was out of the question. Unknown to her, Inner Sakura smirked, _"We'll kiss one of them sometime."_

"_What the-what are you talking about_?" Sakura asked incredulously.

Inner Sakura thought, oh yeah, that's at the end- "_Oh great, I'm spoiling it for everyone!"_ Inner Sakura exclaimed in a panic.

"_Shut up, no you didn't, since you don't know what happens either."_ Sakura sighed. _"Anyways…"_ Sakura thought back to Naruto's particular dream, and was a bit freaked out how her dreams are similar… though, Sasuke was the one with her she was about to kiss; they were having a tea party and he's in a duck costume for an unknown reason. Why was that?

"_Seriously Sakura? Seriously? Everyone knows why- crap, just forget it. Let's end this now damn it_." Inner Sakura sighed. And so, their adventure continues on their way to Earth Country.


	2. Trouble! The Grass Ninjas Attack!

_Count: _2724

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**ChapterTwo**

**_Trouble! The Grass Ninjas Attack!_**

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Lurking in the trees were three mysterious silhouettes, watching team sevens every move.

"Well, well, well. It looks like that really is the prince brat," an unknown grass ninja said. He was following the Konoha ninja, watching from the trees. Two more appeared, curious what their teammate found.

"So, did you find that prince?" the female of the team asked.

"Yup. See, he's right there. It seems those Konoha brats are guarding him, but nothing to worry about. They're just weaklings," he told her as he continued to watch team seven's every move. He cackled until he received a smack on the head.

"Ouch!" he moaned in pain as he rubbed his aching head.

"You idiot! Don't you know who that silver haired jonin is? That's none other than the copy ninja, Hatake, Kakashi," their other teammate – known as Souta – informed.

"Seriously Takeshi. You should recognize shinobi that are in the bingo book," the kunoichi lectured.

"Well sorry for not memorizing every ninja in the bingo book, Sayuri!" the ninja known as Takeshi countered.

"Takeshi! Sayuri! Enough with your fooling around! You know our target! We will just have to face the copy ninja. He is our only threat. _I'll_ be sure to take him on. As for the other brats, I don't care. Do what you want with them. We'll strike when the sun sets. Until then, we'll just watch their movements and observe them," Shouta said as he analyzed the two.

"Yes!"

.

"Okay, we should set up camp right about now." Kakashi surveyed his surroundings, happy that they had reached a clearing since it was turning dusk.

"Yes!" they said in unison, beginning to set up the tents. Kakashi continued to stare out, lost in thought.

_"I'm getting a bad feeling here,"_ Kakashi thought to himself. He looked over to his team, which in a result caused him to deadpan. How… typical.

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled out, punching him to where Kakashi was. "I told you I can handle it!" Her fist were still clenching in anger as she stared at the boy with swirls in his eyes and a growing lump.

"Yeah! If Sakura-hime wants me to kiss her than you shouldn't interfere!" Rikuto shouted out from behind her. Her first reaction was to shiver from the close contact as she yelped away from the boy. After composing herself, her second reaction was to glower at the prince.

"What? Okay, listen here you-"Sakura began, but was interrupted by a hand covering her mouth. Luckily all was heard was mumbles, until she looked up and was awestruck at the boy actually making contact with her. She grew silent. Sasuke sighed, finally removing his hand.

"Sasuke-kun? What's wrong? Do you want some alone time together?" she asked, having hearts in her eyes. He swore, she must have done something to make stardust fall around her. Sasuke scoffed at the thought.

"Yeah, right. I'm stopping you from getting us all in trouble, or did you forget?" Sasuke corrected. Pfft, as if he would ever do something like that. "And besides, you need to think of getting the camp site set instead of flirting. You really are worse than Naruto," Sasuke reminded, causing the Haruno to sulk in displeasure. She couldn't believe he didn't want to spend any time with her here, or the fact that she was in fact worse than Naruto – although she didn't find that hard to believe seeing as Naruto had improved tremendously from their time together. Naruto witnessed their interaction's and Sakura's depression, so he obviously went to her aid.

"Sakura-chan! Don't worry about Sasuke. Who cares if he doesn't want to spend time with you, he's just being a bastard, but if you want we could-" Before Naruto could finish his sentence, he flew back to where Kakashi stood once more, a fist mark imbedded on his face. Gurgling came from the blond as his hand twitched.

"Shannaro! As if I'd ever!" Sakura yelled out, stomping into the forest grounds in annoyance and frustration. Kakashi, witnessing the scene, only shook his head in displeasure.

_"They'll never change."_ Kakashi let out a sigh. At that moment, his eyes opened in alert, sensing a presence behind him. Surly enough, a kunai came right towards the copy ninja. He caught the kunai with his index and middle finger, turning his head to glance at the enemy.

_"My suspicions were correct. There really were ninja here. It looks like we're going to have to watch over the prince after all."_ Kakashi sighed at the thought ,about ready to groan, but readied his kunai instead.

Sasuke, watching the scene, prepared himself as well, ready to face any enemy they come in contact with. Naruto rubbed his cheek where the mark laid. Once he looked up and noticed both Kakashi and Sasuke and glanced at the two grass ninja on the other side, he raised himself up from the ground and prepared himself for combat.

"So I was right. You are Hatake, Kakashi. I'm Shun, Souta," the grass ninja announced. Kakashi continued his piercing glare towards the guy.

"So you know me? Well, now I feel bad that I don't know you," Kakashi told him. "But it doesn't matter anyway."

"Very True, Hatake, because you won't be alive for it to matter," Souta said.

"You stole the words right out of my mouth." Kakashi smirked beneath his mask, ready to go all out. Souta smirked.

"I remembered there was another one of you Konoha brats." Sayuri smirked. All their eyes widened at the revelation.

"Sasuke! Go to Rikuto and protect him! Naruto! Go and find Sakura! Make sure she's alright."

"Right." Both boys nodded. Sasuke ran over to Rikuto, making sure to guard him.

"What's going on?" Rikuto asked in a panic, his voice and body shaking as he held himself.

"Just shut up and don't make any moves," Sasuke said as he stood in front of the boy. Rikuto merely nodded as he shook in fright. Naruto observed everyone, making sure they were going to be alright before he sprinted through the forest in the direction Sakura was headed.

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Sakura made her way through the bushes and shrubs, disappointed and depressed. Oh, angered at Naruto as well.

"Naruto is an idiot. Hmph. He doesn't get anything. But… I guess I was a little too hard on the guy. I really should apologize. I mean, all he wanted to do was cheer me up. Okay, I'll go and apologize then!" She brightened as a smile crept up her face. As she continued to walk, that smile was converted to a confused expression. "That is, if I could find my way back. Hmm. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going, was I? Okay, so where am I?" she asked herself, looking from left to right. She then noticed something strange. Her eyes darkened at the thought. It was way too dark around here, when the sun just set only a few moments ago. "Wait a second…" She looked around, scrutinizing all her surroundings. "Just what I thought… genjutsu." She made a hand sign, yelling "kai!" and glanced around to see she was back in the forest.

"You were able to see through my genjutsu were you? No matter. I'll take you out in one blow!" Sayuri, the female of the grass ninja's group, called out. Sakura's eyes widened.

_"A grass ninja," _she thought, grabbing her kunai, preparing to do anything possible to defend herself. Sayuri laughed, realizing she wasn't anything special. She was a weak girl, she presumed. She jumped to reveal herself as metal clashed while Sakura jumped away from the clash. Sakura jumped through the trees trying to get back to the clearing before the girl caught her. Sayuri's face darkened with a malicious smile on his face. As she caught up a bit, Sayuri tried to hit her with a kunai. She smirked when it hit the girl, but growled when a puff of smoke and a log came into view.

_"Kawarimi no jutsu? Where did she go?"_ Sayuri thought, becoming furious. She grabbed a kunai, and watched the trees to spot movement. Her eyes darted to where three shuriken were thrown, threw her kunai in the direction and jumped out of the way, the shuriken becoming embedded in trees. Clash after clash, the kunais kept on rampaging after another.

"I'm through playing these petty little games with you." Sayuri smirked as she moved rather quickly, Sakura's eyes widening.

_"Where'd she go?"_ she thought as she stood, running as quickly as possible. Sayuri smirked.

_"You're not running away from me so easily girly,"_ she thought as she made her way towards the girl. Sayuri made her way towards the girl whose kunai clanged once again, but Sayuri grabbed t Sakura's wrist and punched her to the ground. Sayuri smirked as she took the moment to throw a kunai her way.

Sakura quickly rolled away, but the kunai skidded through her skin on her arm. It was superficial, but began to sting as a small trail of blood ran down her arm. She then grinned.

"I'm not wasting my time using any jutsu on you," Sayuri mentioned as she threw five shuriken her way. Sakura easily dodged them, but with less enthusiasm as before, as she felt herself running out of chakra to use. Sakura instantly went to her holster, but realized she was out of any kunai. She cursed, gasping when she felt another punch to her face. "Pathetic." Sayuri crossed her arms at the girl trying to hold herself up.

_"Is this the end?"_ Sakura closed her eyes as to not witness her own death before her eyes.

"You're a real nuisance, now die!" she screamed, about to smite her with the kunai. Sakura waited for her demise, but it never came. After a few seconds of waiting, Sakura opened her eyes and saw orange and blonde.

"Naruto? Is that you? Naruto!" she yelled for joy. She was so delighted her teammate was here. The two metals clashed, Naruto stopping Sayuri from making the final blow.

"Sakura-chan. Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, but how did you find me?" she asked in curiosity.

"I heard a scream and was scared they might have found you," he said. He looked at the girl from the corner of his eyes.

_"Sakura-chan looks like she's at her limit,"_ he thought.

"Sakura-chan! You go ahead and rest. Don't worry; I'll always protect you!" he declared. She nodded in response.

Naruto turned to the women in front of him, saying, "You're the one who hurt Sakura-chan. I'll never forgive you." He put his hands together as he made the familiar sign. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" he yelled out. Four clones appeared as he readied a fighting stance as he formed a circle around the grass ninja.

Sayuri laughed. "You're nothing but a joke as well. How pathetic, you leaf ninja," she said as she quickly dispelled them with punches and kicks.

Naruto growled, "Don't underestimate me!" He quickly drew up five clones as all five charged her. She smirked as she fought them all, only she didn't think one would be above.

"Surprise!" the real Naruto shouted as he kicked the girl to the ground, her face meeting the dirt. She laid unconscious after that attack. Naruto glanced over to Sakura, walking up to said girl.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah. I guess I'm alright now that you're here," Sakura assured him, a smile adorning her face. Naruto grinned as well.

"Hey, let's go see how Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke are doing," Naruto suggested. Sakura nodded, starting to get up, only to fall to her knees miserably. She moaned aloud in anguish as she realized her reserves were to zero. She tried getting up again, making it to her feet this time, but fell once more. The only difference was that this time, Naruto held her in his arms. "You should be more careful Sakura-chan," Naruto told her. "Here." Naruto turned around, motioning for her to hop on his back. Sakura was hesitant at first, but then decided to wrap her arms around his neck, and let him give her a piggy back ride.

"I'm-" she paused, not sure how to begin. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem." Naruto beamed. There was a moment of silence before Sakura sighed.

"I'm sorry for saying those mean things to you before," Sakura apologized, feeling grim, but surprisingly warm all at the same time. Naruto grinned.

"Hey, it's okay. Actually, I forgot about the whole thing," Naruto told her so she could smile again, only it made things worse. He noticed the frown from the corner of her eyes; she seemed depressed now. "Hey Sakura-chan. Thanks for making it easy for me to finish her off so quickly." Sakura stared at the boy in confusion. Naruto noticed and decided to elaborate. "See, if you hadn't fought her first, then I wouldn't have been able to finish her off so fast. I owe you one Sakura-chan." Sakura stared at the boy from behind, surprised at him.

"S-sure," she stammered, blinking a few times. She wanted to say something else, but couldn't find the right words. She was feeling a little down because she needed someone to protect her and put their life on the line for her _again_. She didn't want to be a hindrance to her team. However, this encounter with the grass ninja made her feel worse with the fact that she couldn't handle it herself, needing to get rescued once more. However, Naruto made her happy with his words, making her heart swell with confidence that she at least helped a bit. Naruto grinned as he watched the girl's expression change from a frown to a content smile. It made his heart beat faster.

After their conversation, they remained silent the entire way to the clearing. Once the two finally made it, they noticed Kakashi and Sasuke were also through with their battle as well. Naruto walked towards them.

"What happened to Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, what happened to my Sakura-san?" the prince asked. Surprisingly, Naruto for the first time listened to orders, not even making a fool out of himself at the comment. However, only with Kakashi's top notch hearing abilities could he hear the small mumble of, "she's not your Sakura-chan."

"Sakura-chan was really beat, but she should be okay," Naruto explained. Kakashi nodded.

"I see." He groaned. "Okay, tomorrow when we get to Earth Country, we're going to have to… stay there for a while," Kakashi said in a grim voice with so much displeasure one might ever hear from him. He _really_ didn't want to be near this self-absorbed prince for a second longer.

"Yes Kakashi-sensei." Naruto glance at Sakura. "Hey, Sakura-chan, if you want you could…huh?" Naruto saw the girl sleeping. "Hmm. She must have been really tired from that battle." Naruto let out a sincere smile, walking towards the tent to drop her off.

Naruto laid her in her sleeping bag and was about to turn to leave, when he heard what she had been meaning to say.

"Thank you," she smiled. Naruto brightened, whispering sweet dreams to the pink haired maiden and headed to his own tent for rest. After all, they do have a big day tomorrow.

.

Brown eyes met the light of flames. Two shadows were discussing something that she couldn't make out. Sayuri had finally gained consciousness to see she was in a cave with Takeshi and Souta conversing. They looked over in her direction when they sensed her getting up.

"What happened to you?" Souta asked her. "You weren't able to take those little weaklings down?"

"Wow, and you call me weak," Takeshi said, only to get smacked by an angry Sayuri.

"They're tougher than they look, okay? I underestimated them. That boy… he took me down in one blow." Takeshi remained speechless. Souta however held a menacing smirk on his face. "Well, it looks like those brats are going to bring us an interesting battle the next time we meet. And this time, we won't go easy. We'll definitely kidnap that prince." Souta smirked, causing his other teammates to smirk in response. It was going to be a long mission.


	3. Wait, What? Naruto and Sakura's Date!

_Count:_ 3949

.

**Chapter Three**

_**Wait, What? Naruto and Sakura's Date!**_

.

Once team seven and their client arrived, they were either jumping for joy, indifferent, or sulking.

"Yay! We're finally here!" Naruto shouted in excitement - the only one excited, holding his hands up in the air.

"Finally! So prince-" Sakura was about to say, but the prince quickly interrupted with his persnickety voice.

"Oh no, that won't do. You can call me Rikuto-kun, Sakura-hime and only Sakura-hime," he told her. They all raised an eyebrow on that particular suffix he gave to Sakura. He stared and glowered at the three men, silently telling them that they couldn't call him that.

"As if we would call a jerk like you that," Naruto mumbled.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" he retorted.

"Ah, nothing! Nothing!" Naruto said nervously, raising his hands in the air to emphasize as he laughed panic-stricken.

"Anyways, as I was saying _Rikuto-san_: why is this country so poor?" Sakura asked, looking around at what seemed to be the district in poverty.

"Hmm. Only the west side is in deficiency of any economic growth. We won't be anywhere near here." he explained.

"I see," Sakura said as she pondered. The prince turned to her, grinning as if he were crazy.

"I cannot wait until you come to my castle Sakura-hime! You are going to love it there, and I have a sublime surprise that I'm sure you're going to say yes to."

"Say yes to what?" she asked, a little freaked out at what he might have in mind.

"I told you, it's a surprise!" Rikuto told her, smiling all the way to the castle.

"Wow!" Naruto and Sakura looked at the humongous castle in wonderment. "It's so big!" Sakura said amazed, it feeling exactly like the pictures she saw in fairy tales. It was too surreal for words.

"I'm glad you like it Sakura-hime." He smirked.

_"Because you will be here for a real long time my love. This I am sure of," _he thought to himself, laughing evilly at that point. They all had the "are you crazy?" look on their faces as they continued to walk into the castle. A servant walked to welcome the prince back home.

"Welcome my prince! It's a pleasure to have you back home, safe and sound," he greeted as he bowed to his master. "Who may I ask are your new companions?" he asked, looking at the four ninja.

"These are the Konoha ninja that escorted me to Earth Country. It was divine to see Kakashi and Sasuke defeat those other ninja. It was simply splendid!" he told his servant. The servant smiled.

"I am glad you enjoyed yourself my prince. May you happen to be hungry?" he asked them all.

"Famished," Rikuto simply said to give his servant the idea.

"Oh yeah! I'll have a large bowl of miso ramen!" Naruto shouted out.

"Of course, and what about you all?" he asked the rest of them.

"Well, I guess we will have the same to not be much of a bother," Kakashi spoke. The servant nodded as he gave a bow before he made his leave. Rikuto ushered them towards the dinner table.

.

They were all eating, when Rikuto was going to tell Sakura her 'surprise.'

"Sakura-hime, I was going to surprise you with this later, but I just can't wait! I must ask you this now!" He kneeled to the floor on one knee.

_"What is this guy doing?" _Sakura thought as she quirked an eyebrow.

"You don't think he's going to ask you to marry you will he?" Inner Sakura asked, causing Sakura to almost choke on her noodles.

_"If he does, then I'll hit him so hard, he'll end up all the way back in Konoha!" _she thought in between coughs to catch her breath.

"Sakura-hime! From the first time I saw you, I found you the most beautiful women I have ever laid eyes on. Your strength is phenomenal and I feel it was love at first sight. Will you marry me, my love?" With such a confession, any outsider watching would hear complete silence besides the choking sounds Naruto was making. Kakashi's chopsticks fell out of his hand, flabbergasted while Sasuke just raised an eyebrow at the sudden proposal. After Sakura spit out the broth, her mouth remained agape for a few seconds before she shook it off and looked angry at the prince.

"As if I'd ever-" Kakashi pulled them all to the corner of the room.

"Sakura, if you reject his proposal, then he'll definitely be upset. I really disliked the tone you were about to use. Good thing I pulled you out before you gave your first reaction."

"Well, Sakura-chan can't just marry the jerk!" Naruto exclaimed.

"That's right! There's no way I'll marry someone like him!" she shrieked.

"Don't worry. I have an idea." Kakashi smirked.

_"I bet Sasuke will try and kill me after this."_ Kakashi mentally giggled the mere thought giving him unfathomable joy- he was so happy he thought of this just now.

"You will have an excuse as to why you will not marry the prince."

"Which is?" They all asked. Kakashi could only chuckle at what he was about to say.

"Okay, Sakura, you must pick either Sasuke or Naruto to be your boyfriend."

"WHAT!" they all shouted in unison.

"What I said, is that Sakura must pick one of you two to be her boyfriend. For pretend of course," Kakashi reassured. "Now, choose, and choose fast. We're running out of time."

"My Sakura-hime! Why are you making me wait for your answer? Even though I already know!" he giggled. They all walked towards the prince, the only ones being happy were Kakashi and Sakura.

_"Finally I get to spend time with Sasuke-kun, and he can't push me away because he has to act like my boyfriend." _She smiled with so much delight.

_"There is someone else you can choose,"_ Inner Sakura reminded, getting annoyed as she groaned in frustration.

_"Knowing Sakura, she's going to pick Sasuke like always. She's so predictable." _Kakashi smiled. _"And now I can torture Sasuke about it all for kicks. Yes, best plan ever!" _he inwardly giggled.

_"Damn it all. Knowing Sakura, I'm going to have to spend time with her. I mean, I like her, but not like that!" _Sasuke thought in horror._ "And the worst part is I can tell Kakashi's going to get a kick out of this. Fuck my life." _Sasuke deadpanned.

_"This is just great. Sakura-chan is going to choose Sasuke for sure. She doesn't like me. She always liked Sasuke,"_ Naruto thought, sighing in disappointment.

"Look Rikuto. I'm sorry, but I must decline your offer," she said, externally looking truly sincere, even when she was having a party on the inside without Inner Sakura. She wasn't around right now for some reason, but she hadn't really noticed nor cared at the moment. Rikuto was shocked.

"What? But, why? Please tell me why I can't have you?" he demanded to know.

"Two reasons," Sakura explained. "Firstly, I'm only twelve! No way would I be ready for marriage now. Secondly, I can't deny that my heart belongs to someone else. It wouldn't be right for me or you if I betrayed my feelings for my boyfriend, the person I truly love," Sakura shouted, absolutely needing to should her first reason as if her life depended on it. She said her second reason calmer though.

"What? Who would have the honor to be with you? Who? I must know!" he demanded, anger-stricken. However, no one blamed him since he did just get rejected.

_"All great, here it goes," _Naruto thought, deciding he did not want to hear this. It would only shatter his heart to an extent where it would most likely never be able to be repaired again.

"Yeah, um. His name is… my boyfriend is… Naruto!" Sakura held the biggest smile, thinking for some strange reason, she had said Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke.

_"Wait a second. Did I just say Naruto? It sure didn't sound like Sasuke-kun. Maybe I'm just mistaken?" _she thought.

_"Sorry but there's no mistake there sweetheart." _Inner Sakura smirked. "Naruto is our boyfriend now!" Sakura inwardly growled, wondering why things felt way too eerie for her liking. Inner Sakura seems so excited about this, when she should be moping like the normal Sakura. Interesting.

_"Why are you happy about this? I was supposed to say Sasuke-kun! Oh no! I said Naruto! Please tell me this is just a mistake or some nightmare! I didn't say Naruto's name! I said Sasuke-kun's name!" _she berated herself.

_"Maybe it wasn't a mistake. Ever thought of that? Maybe it's what your heart truly desired," _Inner Sakura suggested.

Rikuto's surprise proposal was nothing compared to Sakura's own surprise. They were more shocked than anything.

_"Whoa. Here I thought she was predictable. Damn. I was sure she would have said Sasuke. I would have even bet some money on it. Well, it's a good thing I didn't," _Kakashi thought as his one eye continued to stare with a constricted pupil.

_"Hmph. I can't believe she actually picked Naruto over me." _Sasuke nonchalantly shrugged, although still incredulous to the thought. _"Wait a minute. She. Picked. Naruto. Over. Me." _His eyes widened. _"My god! This, this is an absolute miracle! I don't know what I did, but yes! Thank you Kami!"_

Naruto on the other hand drew a blank. His mind was reeling, but nothing really came up. Except one thing which was,_ "my name?" _After not only establishing that fact and any of his incredulous thoughts were confirmed wrong, he finally was able to have coherent thoughts.

_"S-Sakura-chan actually… said my name? My name? But this makes no sense. She's in love with 'Sasuke.' I-is this just a dream or a sick joke?"_ He really hoped it was neither.

"WHAT!? How could you love that idiot over me? I might understand Sasuke, but _him_? How is he better than me? I can't believe this! I can't believe you! I won't believe you! I mean, you hit him every chance you get!" he couldn't control himself, just the thought of losing to _that_ guy was far worse than any rejection. Sakura coughed to cut a bit of the tension as she grew a little annoyed at that false accusation.

"Actually, I _don't_ hit him every chance I get, because that would be way more than I do. And second, I only hit him when he acts stupid or is planning to do something stupid- which I admit is a lot. But yes… Naruto is my… boyfriend," she said, letting out a sigh. Wow, she couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth.

"Well, there you have it! Sakura can't marry you! Sorry!" Kakashi smiled, being polite. "Now, since we're staying here, where shall we sleep for the night?"

"Oh… of course, Sora!" Rikuto called out exasperated, a bit calmer than earlier, but still upset.

"Yes, my prince?" she asked.

"Well, please take them to their rooms," he ordered. She bowed to him, walking towards the door Naruto was at. She looked at the blonde boy with much curiosity.

"Excuse me sir, but are you okay?" she asked, referring to the way he didn't move, staring off to space. She moved her hand in front of his face to see if he was paying attention. Naruto looked up, shaking his head.

"Huh? What happened?" Naruto looked and saw the women known as Sora. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Sora, and I asked you if you were okay. You seemed out of it for a second there. You seemed to have a blank expression." Sora mentioned.

"Oh, sorry." Naruto smiled, chuckling sheepishly as he scratched the back of his neck.

"It's alright. If you all follow me, I'll show you to your bedrooms," she continued, opening the door and walking up the stairs. As they made their way through the flight of stairs, Naruto glanced at the pink haired girl in confusion. Once they all settled into their rooms, the three genin headed off towards their sensei's room for a conference.

"Hey you guys. Look, I needed to talk to you about this matter on our hands and what exactly we'll be doing the next couple of days here. Okay, first I like to say," he started, giggling a bit. "I congratulate Sakura and Naruto on becoming a couple. You know, I surely thought you would choose Sasuke."

_"I thought so too," _she thought as her lips fell into a frown.

"Please Kakashi-sensei. I don't want to talk about this," Sakura told him as she face palmed at the very thought.

"Anyways, we will be here and guard the prince except for Naruto and Sakura."

"Huh? Why?" the 'couple' asked.

"Isn't it obvious? You two have to pretend to be a couple for a few days around the prince. So, you two shall be going on dates. Your first date will start right now!" Kakashi smirked, ushering the two out of the door.

"Wait a minute! Why do we have to go on a date? We just have to _pretend _to be dating around the prince, right? So why do we have to go on a date?" Sakura asked.

"Well, you guys should get to know each other first as much as possible. Plus, it will help out in our teamwork." Kakashi stated. "You all should establish a little more trust. I've noticed you always question Naruto on everything he does while you follow Sasuke without question," Kakashi told them although admitting to himself that it has been getting better between them from the time they first became a team. Naruto frowned at the thought. "You guys can talk about how you're going to act if you want to, but you guys are going on a date, whether you like it or not."

"Okay, so what do we do on our date then, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked as she groaned at the very thought.

"Honestly, do I really have to do everything for you guys? Really, just take a walk around the village or something. I don't know what you kids do these days."

"Fine." Sakura crossed her arms and sighed in frustration. "Come on Naruto. Let's just get this over with." Sakura stomped her way through the door, Naruto following behind with a grin plastered on his face.

.

"Since we're stuck together for a few days, then let's establish some rules," she announced.

"Sure thing Sakura-chan!" Naruto beamed as he continued to walk beside her.

"Rule one: no kissing. Rule two: no touching. Okay, that's all I got so far." She looked to see if the blonde was following. Naruto nodded, looking up to the sky, causing one confused Sakura. "Why are you smiling like that Naruto?" she asked, a bit freaked out.

"I'm just really happy! There aren't days like this where I can spend time with the prettiest girl in the world," he said, showing off his foxy grin. Her face heated at his words.

_"Huh? What's going on? Why am I so flustered?" _she asked herself.

_"If you don't know, then you are an idiot. I bet the next question you're going to ask is 'why did I pick Naruto over Sasuke', right? " _Inner Sakura groaned rather loudly at the girl as she crossed her arms.

_"What are you talking about? For whatever force on this earth that caused or possessed me to say his name, it certainly wasn't because I, myself, willingly chose him," _Sakura explained.

"_Is that so?"_ She saw her Inner Sakura sighed in annoyance at the girl.

"Hey Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Naruto asked her. When Sakura was back to reality, she looked up to the boy's concerned eyes.

"Yeah, I just spaced out. Sorry… So, where do you want to go next?" she asked him. She frowned at this section of the village, since it didn't have much to do no matter how elegant it was. She was sure there were nice things inside the buildings, but they were probably far too expensive.

"Hmm. I don't know. Um, I'm not really sure what to do on dates," Naruto said as he scratched his head. He knew the basics, dinner and a movie, or something like that, but he wasn't sure if that would work for this moment. Besides the fact that he didn't know where the closest movie theatre was, he wasn't sure if he should suggest that. Instead, he looked for the closest thing he could see so he wouldn't seem like a complete idiot for not doing something that she would truly enjoy. As they continued to walk towards the west side of the village, he noticed a stand. "Hey, let's go get some of those meats on a stick thingys!" Naruto said, running towards the stand.

"First, they're called skewers. Second… we just ate!" Sakura called, chasing after the blond. Once they were at the west side of the village, they couldn't help but think how deprived it was. "Wow, this place really is poor," Naruto said, looking around. However, they were happy to see it was pretty lively with little kids running around and playing rope, but the condition they were in wasn't something they enjoyed seeing.

"I know. Look at all the children. It's so sad," Sakura said with sympathy in her eyes. Sakura felt a bit self-conscious when they were eyeing her and Naruto. She smiled at them. Two even came up to them. Naruto looked at the kids with an empathetic smile. He handed one of them his meat on a stick.

"Here." He handed his to the little girl in front of him. She smiled, bowing and giving a shy, "thank you." Sakura watched with a gentle smile on her face. She looked at the little boy, staring at her food, when she gave him hers as well. The boy let out a thank you, and the two ran off with brightened expressions on their faces.

_"I didn't know that Naruto could be so kind." _It was weird. She always thought he was just selfish and bratty, but he had been doing many things that made her question her impression on the boy…

"Wow Naruto, that was really nice of you." Naruto merely shrugged.

"It's not like I was starving or anything." He smiled back at her. The two decided to cut this 'date' short since it was getting late already. During their walk back, they discussed faint details about their lives and simple things about themselves.

_"Hmm. I never knew Sakura-chan's favorite flowers were tulips. Now I know what I could get her," _he thought, smiling from ear to ear.

_"I didn't even know Naruto's birthday," _Sakura thought, dejected on how little she knew of her teammate. She would have never realized Uzumaki Naruto loved to garden either. It was a pleasant surprise, and she couldn't help but smile all through their conversations. _"I'm actually really glad we did this now. Wait. Not the date part, the talking more part. For trust and stuff," _she corrected herself. They were finally at Sakura's door without her even realizing. As the two stood there, Naruto noticed her frown and concentrated expression as she stared at her door.

"Um…" he trailed off, not sure if he would like the answer to his question. "Are you not happy or something?"

"A bit," she said. She frowned, but then her eyes widened at her own thoughts. _"If only our walk could have been a little bit longer."_ She shook her head, not liking that thought one bit. She then turned to Naruto and was confused by his frown. She then remembered what she just said and quickly tried to make things better. "It's not you! It's just-"

"I'm not Sasuke?" he asked, sighing. Her eyebrows furrowed, wondering why hadn't she thought of Sasuke at all and Naruto had to remind her where her heart was supposed to be. Naruto had took her silence as a yes and frowned more.

"It's not that! To be honest, I really enjoyed myself." Her face heated at the thought of admitting it. "I was just disappointed we can't continue our conversation." Her fingers made her way to her pink locks, intertwining her fingers with them as she brushed through her hair. "It was nice getting to know you. We should talk more like this more often." She rather liked when he wasn't trying to make a spectacle of himself. When it was just the two of them and they can talk like this was what she really liked. She smiled when she saw the happy grin on his face return.

"Well, I'm happy to hear! Okay well… goodnight." He gave a small wave as he started walking towards his room.

"Goodnight," she whispered out. She opened her door and headed straight for the shower. When she got out feeling refurbished, she walked out to the balcony in her room as she stared out to the village. It was odd. She figured today was going to be the worst day ever, but it had quickly turned into a rather pleasant day. She was truly happy.

"_Maybe this will turn alright after all,"_ she thought as she gave a mellow yawn. She was so tired, her eyes closed as soon as she hit the pillow. It was a tiringly long day, but it was worth it.

.

**Bonus Scene**

_**Reasons Why**_

.

"Okay, we need to discuss a LOT of things here," Sakura shouted as she banged the palm of her hands on the desk. Kakashi looked up from his Icha Icha with a look of indifference. "There is something way off with this and it needs to be taken care of immediately!"

"And what would that be?"

"Everything! This is ridiculous! Why should ninja go out on dates during mission? It's idiotic. Not only should shinobi not show emotions during missions, but they shouldn't have to prove who's dating who! Shinobi shouldn't bring their personal life to their work," Sakura reasoned. Kakashi sighed.

"But it is _part_ of the mission. Plus, I get the feeling Rikuto isn't one to just accept that unless he actually sees you two interacting and going on dates, it was completely necessary. Plus, you have to admit that our teamwork has been amazing ever since. This was a valid decision, so ha, in your face!" Kakashi said. Sakura was lost for words, but glared at the man since he had a point and made comical expression to her. "On the contrary, I'm wondering why you chose Naruto instead of Sasuke when you clearly still thought of him as reachable – and you still fangirled," Kakashi said, coughing the last part. Sakura stood with her mouth agape.

"Yeah, that was never addressed, was it?" Naruto said, popping out of nowhere.

"Someone obviously never took this into account and completely forgot the how (I resent that!)," Sasuke sighed, muttering a whatever.

Sakura sheepishly laughed, looking for her Inner Sakura.

"_You better admit it!" _

"_Admit what?"_

"_Admit that you made me choose Naruto!" _

"_What do you mean? I'm simply the side of you that speaks out and shows what you truly want to say. Why would I ever do something as to switch your inner self so I can finally speak out and say what you want this time around?" _Inner Sakura smirked.

"_Why you!" _

"I'll kick your ass!" The three boys stared in awe at the girl talking to herself.

"You picked a crazy one," Kakashi said, while Naruto couldn't help but dumbly nod. Although, technically, she picked him… but yes, he definitely picked a crazy one.


	4. Developing Feelings: Kiss Me

_Count: _2999

.

**Chapter Four**

_**Developing Feelings: Kiss Me**_

.

Sakura's eyelids fluttered open at the exposure to the noisome rays of sunshine. She sat up from bed, giving a loud yawn while stretching. Her thoughts almost immediately went to yesterday's 'outing' with Naruto. They had been staying for longer than Kakashi had anticipated, so they had been here for the past week. It was really nice that they were there all this time with no trouble. She had been having a lot of fun going out with Naruto throughout this time. It almost seemed natural going on these dates with him now. The next day, Naruto even planned for them to watch the new Gale movie, although, she couldn't help but glare at the thought that he liked the heroine in the movie. She quickly brushed that thought away as she thought of their other nights that they spent together.

_"I've had a lot of fun these last five days," _she thought.

_"He's a great guy," _Inner Sakura thought with dreamy eyes. Sakura quirked an eyebrow as her inner self sighed in bliss, but couldn't help but agree at her words. _"I hope it never ends." _Sakura frowned at the thought, realizing that this mission was going to end sometime, and they couldn't do this forever.

"_Unless…"_ Inner Sakura smirked.

"_Unless what?"_ Sakura groaned, not wanting to hear her input at all.

"_We seal the deal, you know? Ask him if we want to stop playing pretend and make us official."_ Inner Sakura squealed at the thought, just dreaming of the happier times they could have. Sakura was absolutely flabbergasted by the mere thought, her mouth agape.

"_W-what? No way! I'm still in love with Sasuke-kun! Our time together was nice, but I don't have… feelings for him,"_ she mentally shouted.

_"Oh yeah right! Don't you get it? I feel everything you feel! The only difference is I have the guts to admit it!"_

_"Are you kidding? I have absolutely nothing to admit! Got that?"_

"_So you don't like him?"_

"_Well I do, but as a really good friend." _To this, Inner Sakura scoffed.

"_And that's why you nearly ripped the movie screen when he was ogling that girl." _Inner Sakura laughed, not pleased at all by this fact, but still highly amused that her counterpart was trying to merely brush this off as wanting to be friends. Sakura's face heated at the mere thought.

"_Shut up about that!" _Inner Sakura glared.

_"Oh Please! I'm tired of you always brushing off everything you feel for Naruto as nothing while you spend most of your time ogling Sasuke. It's alright for your feelings to change, you know. You don't have to force yourself to keep liking the bastard! It's like you just like him out of sheer routine! Why won't you just admit it already?"_

_"Like I said, I have nothing to admit."_

_"Denial."_

_"I'm not in denial! I don't care what you say, I'm still in love with Sasuke-kun, damn it!"_ Sakura shouted to her inner self with clenched fist.

_"Then why did you pick Naruto over Sasuke? And actually, didn't you say it yourself, you're glad you picked Naruto over Sasuke."_

_"I just… urrr! Just… shut up." _Sakura sighed, causing her inner Sakura to giggle and stick out her tongue. Sakura glared at her, but decided the term "silence is golden," was best for this situation. She decided to head for the tub, in need of an extremely hot shower to take her mind off of this mess with her confusing feelings.

.

Sakura casually walked down the stairs as she noticed everyone was seated and waiting for her to eat. She blushed in embarrassment, muttering a sleepy good morning.

"Good morning Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, smiling from ear to ear. Sakura gave a light, tender smile back. She sat down between Naruto and Kakashi, glancing at everyone else's meals. She glared at the blond haired boy next to her; he made a very unhealthy choice for breakfast. Everyone else was having something appropriate for breakfast while she found Naruto eating ramen as always.

"Geez Naruto, ramen again? You should have something healthier than just ramen!" she began to lectured.

"But Sakura-chaaaaaaaaan!" Naruto whined with a childish pout on his face.

"No! I don't want to hear it, Naruto! That can't be healthy! And you should have vegetables too, like Kakashi-sensei always tells you," she suggested. Naruto made a scowl, never enjoying the thought of such disgusting contents as the green veggies.

"But Sakura-chan! It looks like throw up, being all green!" Naruto said, making Sakura's eyebrow twitch at the poor excuse. Kakashi began chuckling in all good nature as he watched the scene before him. Sakura stared at her sensei in suspicion.

"What's so funny?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, it's just you two seem so cute together, even act as if you're married. Don't you think, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked as he nudged the boy next to him. Sasuke remained collected as he crossed his arms and sighed.

"Don't drag me into this." Sasuke continued to eat his breakfast, not even paying attention to the scene. Sakura held a glare at her sensei, fury emanating out of her.

"Kakashi-sensei, what the-"

"It's only a matter of time. I mean, you are together." Kakashi couldn't help but laugh at the look on Sakura's face, while Naruto was nearly choking on his ramen. "When do you think the wedding will be, Sasuke?"

"Like I said, don't drag me into this." And Sasuke continued to eat his meal. If Kakashi wanted to find his Icha Icha missing in the middle of the night, only to find it had been sacrificed to the flames of destruction because his big mouth, let him go right ahead.

Kakashi had a grin on his face that no one could see because of his mask. However, if he had taken his mask off, one would see that he had the most amused, entertained expression on his face that would beat anyone else's.

_"I bet Kakashi-sensei is having some fun with this! I should have picked Sasuke-kun so I wouldn't have to be tortured like this!" _Sakura thought, feeling as if she'd die from the humiliation.

_"Nope. Even so, you would have still picked Naruto_," Inner Sakura corrected.

"_This is so fun! I love to tick Sakura off when she can't talk back!" _Kakashi inwardly giggled. _"I'm actually glad she didn't pick Sasuke, or else I wouldn't be able to do this. Well, at least I would be able to pick on Sasuke if she did, so I guess I'd still be happy. Win, win!"_ Kakashi grinned as his fingers gave a sign of victory.

"Okay, we're going to guard Prince Rikuto, so once you guys are done here, we're going to remain here and follow him. I don't really know when we'll be going back to Konoha, but judging from what those grass ninja said, they're coming back soon. So until then, we'll have to make the most of this time." With that said, they had nodded and finished eating their meal.

.

The days felt as if they were growing slower and slower by the second. All they did was wait and do nothing but listen to the prince complain to his servants all day. It was very boring, and they were tired of it.

Sakura mentally cheered when she realized the day was over and the sun was just about setting.

"Finally! The day is finally over! Thank goodness! I don't know how much I could take his complaining all the time! I wouldn't even mind me and Naruto going on a date just to get out of being near that stuck up jerk! Let's go Naruto, I need some free time." Sakura was ready to leave and was already dragging Naruto by the collar of his jacket when Kakashi stopped the two.

"You two can't go out today."

"Huh? Why not Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as he tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah! I mean. It's not like I really want to go with Naruto or anything, it's just I want to get out of here and stay as far away from the prince as possible," she said. The only person who knew how much of a lie she told was Inner Sakura.

"First of all, you can't stay far away from the prince; he's our mission. Secondly, Prince Rikuto told me that there is going to be a feast of some sort," Kakashi explained as he scratched his chin in thought. He himself was wondering what this was about.

"Feast?" they all wondered.

"Yes, and we are all to attend." Both Naruto and Sakura sighed in annoyance.

"Fine," Naruto grumbled. Sakura simply nodded. Kakashi couldn't help but smirk.

"You must be upset, but I have no control over this." He inwardly giggled at the face Sakura had made.

"No!"

"Yes!"

_"I think I hate that stupid prince even more now! This could be my only chance to be with Sakura-chan, even if it is for only a little while! Although… Hmm, a feast does sound nice, and I do get to stuff myself,"_ Naruto thought as his mouth watered.

_"Shannaro! I really did want to go out with Naruto! You should have said yes, so maybe Kakashi could have reconsidered!"_ Inner Sakura shouted out.

_"I can honestly say I'd go with anyone if it meant getting away from that jerk." _Sakura sighed, mentally exhausted by the prince's ranting and tantrums.

_"Liar."_

_"I'm not lying!"_

"Would you have gone with Gai-sensei?" Inner Sakura smirked at her counterpart's expression. Sakura deadpanned.

_"Don't say beyond creepy things like that."_

_"Uh! Come on. Just admit it, will you?"_

_"No!"_

_"Admit it!"_

_"No!"_ Just then, she heard Naruto call her name.

"Sakura-chan! Everyone's already downstairs!" Sakura yelped at his voice. It felt as if he came out of nowhere.

"Oh, right." Sakura sheepishly laughed as she brushed through strands of her hair with her fingers. The two walked down to find the biggest table they ever laid eyes on. The table was colossal, but it wasn't that what made their eyes bulge and their mouths water. No, it was what was on it.

"Mmmmm. So much food, and it all looks so good too!" Naruto eyed the food, ready to attack like a hawk using its eyesight to soon quarrel with its prey.

"Now that everyone is here. Eat till your heart's content!" Rikuto said.

"This is very generous of you…," Sakura told him.

"This is my way of thanking all of you guys my Sakura-hime," he replied, causing Naruto to glare at said prince. "Oh, I mean _Naruto's _Sakura-hime," he said, this time causing Sakura to glare. Naruto began devouring his food, most likely not even hearing that last statement.

_"I guess he's not so bad after all," _Naruto thought as he eyed all the other items on the table, rubbing his hands together. As they all continue to eat, Sakura was the first to become full and waited for the others. She gave out a yawn, beginning to scoot in towards Naruto's direction. She gently laid her head on his shoulder, possibly ready to fall asleep. Her eyes widened though, horrified. She quickly scooted away as far as possible. She caught herself before he even noticed. It's a good thing Naruto was too busy eating.

_"What was I doing?" _she asked herself, scared to death. _"At least he didn't see what I did." _Maybe Naruto didn't notice, but Kakashi sure did. He stared at the two from the other side of the table with the biggest smirk planted on his face.

_"Well, well, well. It looks like Sakura had a change of heart. Hmm. It doesn't seem she has realized it yet."_ He shook his head. _"Kids these days."_

_"Okay, so maybe I might have some feelings for him, but it's not like if it's I'm in lo… lo… Well, yeah," _Sakura thought as the day was over, and was now time to be consumed in the darkness and go to sleep.

.

Sakura woke up to a beautiful day, walking towards her windowsill and looking out to the village. She smiled when she noticed civilians walking through the village streets. She looked up at the shining sun, and she swore she could hear birds chirping.

_"Wow. Today is such a nice day today! I just feel like going out today to enjoy myself."_

_"With Naruto_." Inner Sakura smiled.

_"No! What I meant was with everyone, including Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun."_

"Sure, that's what you meant," she said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

_"It is! Anyways, I need to get ready."_ Once she finished getting dressed, she walked down stairs to find both Rikuto and Naruto arguing.

_"Is Naruto pissing off the prince?"_ Sakura thought to herself, glaring at the boy.

"Hey. What's going on?" Sakura demanded to know as she placed both hands to her hips.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Good morning!" Naruto greeted.

"Good morning Sakura-hime. How are you this fine morning?" Rikuto asked.

"Fine until I heard the commotion down here. Why are you two fighting?" Sakura asked.

"The guy doesn't think we're dating! I'm telling him he's delusional. Maybe he'll believe you Sakura-chan," Naruto suggested.

"I thought I told you, we _are_ dating. That's why I can't marry you," Sakura reminded him.

"I don't believe you! I can't believe you without proof! I demand proof!" he declared. Sakura grumbled at his demands.

"You want proof! You got it!" Sakura said, absolutely furious at such a jerk.

"Kiss." That one syllable word was all the atmosphere needed to turn it into a silent, awkward interaction between all three. Naruto scratched the back of his head, Rikuto smirked, and Sakura's eyes widened and her mouth remained opened. Well, all the anger she had been harboring quickly turned into shock.

Naruto couldn't help but blush, already thinking that this was it… this was when he would feel the smack to his face or the beeping noise of his alarm clock go off, but no… This wasn't a dream, and he knew it. His thoughts went back to Sakura, when he realized that they made some rules that he needed to follow. That, and the thought that Sakura was still in love with Sasuke was also a downer. He gently smiled at the thought, but then glared at the prince.

"What? No way! We don't have to listen to you if we want to kiss or not!"

"No. If he wants a kiss, he'll get a kiss. I'm not afraid," Sakura said with determination in her eyes.

_"Oh yeah! Finally you do something smart! That a girl!" _Inner Sakura gave the girl two thumbs up, while Sakura wanted her inner self to remain silent.

"Okay, you ready, Naruto?" she asked, flustered. She had started to avert her eyes from his gaze since he was looking straight at her with a look that she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Naruto's eyes were blank as he stared at the girl, not really paying attention to his surroundings. He was too incredulous to believe this was actually happening. How could it be happening? Nope. Sakura was not puckering her lips. It couldn't be… she was even moving closer, and he wasn't sure what to do anymore.

_"A-am I really going to kiss… Sakura-chan? No, it has to be a dream. B-but, this feeling is too real. I'm sure of it! Sakura-chan really does want to kiss me."_ Naruto's cheeks turned pinker than ever, his face practically melting because of the heat and blood rush. No dream can compare to what he was feeling at this moment. His stomach tightened up, but he still had butterflies at the same time, fluttering crazily. He felt so terrified and scared, yet so happy at the same time. Naruto knew, this was in fact real. He saw those lips coming towards him, and it reminded him of the first day they became a team. Those same lips that were leaning up to bring her lips to his, were doing the same now. Although, he couldn't help but remind himself that she hadn't really wanted to kiss him, because that was a henge. No, he had just tricked her that time, and he almost stole her first kiss. Now he would be doing the same thing, only it was because of that prince. He frowned, turning away from the girl in anguish.

Naruto wanted to kiss her, he really did, but for some reason… he didn't. His expression turned bitter, just the thought of her loving _him _was enough to turn his whole mood to one of melancholy.

"W-what's wrong, Naruto?" Sakura asked, astonished when he declined her kiss she offered. Naruto shook his head in displeasure.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, I get it. Y-you don't have to do this just because you're getting frustrated at him. Listen, we don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I know you sometimes think irrationally when you're extremely angry, and this seems like one of those times," Naruto reassured. "Plus that second rule of yours too. I wouldn't want to steal your first kiss." Naruto made sure to whisper the last part as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground.

_"W-what just happened?" _Sakura asked herself, astounded at Naruto's words. _"He didn't…"_

_"Besides, Sakura-chan loves Sasuke. She's only acting,"_ Naruto thought, heading up the stairs. That thought drove pretty hard into his skull. He had wanted to think it was all real, but it wasn't. He looked back to see Sakura staring back at him with widened eyes. He whispered something that she couldn't hear, that he didn't want her to hear, that he didn't want to believe, for it would only cause more pain.

_"But… it felt so real. Maybe, she really did feel the same way I did?" _He forced himself not to believe such a thought, for it would only cause more pain and heartbreak.


	5. Naruto's Request: Flowers of Doom

_Count: _2076

.

**Chapter Five**

_**Naruto's Request: Flowers of Doom**_

.

"Naruto, wait!" she called out to him. He turned to her and smiled from ear to ear for her. It was supposed to make her feel better, but it made her feel worse. In fact, it pissed her off more than anything. He wasn't supposed to be smiling up on the stairs; he was supposed to be down here with her.

"Yes, Sakura-chan?" he asked. She was silent, at a loss for words. She didn't know what to tell him. Honestly, she just combusted when she called him, not really giving much thought of what she was going to say to him. She stood watching the floor, while Naruto waited till she gave some response. She was the one who called him after all. He then sighed. "Sakura-chan, if you don't have anything to say, I'm going to go now." Naruto grinned again. Damn, that stupid grin.

_Knock, knock, knock_

Kakashi opened his door to find a sullen Naruto.

"I just wanted to tell you that I was going to go take a walk for a while. Alone."

"With Sakura?" Kakashi's eyebrow raised suggestively.

"No." Naruto deadpanned.

"Why is that? You two are supposed to be going on dates and stuff, right?" Kakashi shrugged. Naruto scratched his head, staring the other way.

"Uh, about that. You know, I have a feeling this isn't working out. Maybe we should stop the act?" he asked innocently. The atmosphere remained awkward as the two stood there in silence.

"May I ask why?" He didn't show it, but he was astonished by Naruto's request. This wasn't like Naruto to be the one asking to quit with this; in fact, he kind of expected Sakura to be the one to ask this first.

"Everything is going wrong! We… We were going to kiss!" Naruto exclaimed, flailing his arms in the air.

"And that's a bad thing?" Kakashi was having a hard time processing this one down. Wasn't Naruto the one who was always chasing after the girl? Wasn't Naruto the one always asking her out on dates? Wasn't Naruto the one who said he'd protect her as long as he lived? Something just seemed… off.

"Well, how did that go then?" Kakashi sighed, realizing if they were about to kiss, either he must have done something wrong to drive Sakura away, or Sakura herself had to.

"We didn't. I made sure to stop us." Kakashi was completely perplexed now. When did things get switched up?

"You're the one who stopped the kiss? You stopped yourself from kissing Sakura? Sakura? You?" Naruto only nodded. "But I thought you were the one who liked her?"

"It's not that I don't like her; I'm confident enough to say I even love Sakura-chan. However, I knew that if we kissed, then it would be a huge mistake. It wouldn't mean anything to her, but it would mean the world to me. I can't risk a broken heart Kakashi-sensei. Once we're back in Konoha, she'd be all over Sasuke again and forget all about me." Naruto sulked. Kakashi sighed, trying to absorb everything his student was telling him.

"Look Naruto. I understand how you must feel and all, but you shouldn't underestimate others, especially the ones you care for most. Hey, she might even like you back. You two have been spending a lot of time with each other, so maybe she might have had a change of heart." Kakashi winked with his only visible eye. Naruto stood there confused.

"I don't get one word of what you're trying to say. You're confusing me. The only thing I wanted to say was that I wanted to stop this, and I'm going for a walk, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto explained, and soon he walked off. Kakashi sighed as he watched him leave.

"Clueless… and I gave such good advice too. Why do I bother? Hmm, maybe I should share this with Sakura. Surely she will understand what I'm trying to say. Hopefully all this can be straightened out soon." Kakashi subconsciously took out the orange book from his pocket. He looked at it for a while, and opened it to the page he was on. A perverted smirk rose to his face. "Maybe after I read this one page." This might take a while…

.

Naruto hadn't really been paying attention to any of his surroundings. He'd find himself bump into many people as he aimlessly walked to who knows where. It was only when he smelled the aroma of ramen that he finally got out of his long periods of thought and walked over to the direction of the ramen shop. However, when he did get there and ordered a bowl, he hadn't touched it at all and the aroma that drew him in wasn't making it appealing at all. He sighed as his chopsticks twirled the noodles in deep thought.

"I'm guessing you're not a ramen guy?" the cook asked, watching said boy not even look at his bowl, almost looking like he'll doze off pretty soon. Naruto couldn't help but wonder how someone would ever think that way of him, of all people. He looked down and noticed exactly what he was doing, and he quickly apologized.

"Sorry old man. Your ramen is probably amazing, but I just got a lot on my mind."

"What's the trouble, kid?" Naruto replayed his entire problem form the moment Sakura woke him up to the very moment with Sakura. The old man was contemplating. "Maybe you should get her some flowers if you're the one planning to break it up. Girls seem to get heartbroken with those types of things."

"_Or pissed,"_ he told himself as an afterthought.

"Weren't you listening old man? She doesn't even _like_ me. It won't matter to her if we just stop dating. It wasn't like we _were _dating." Naruto used his hand as support to place his head while he sighed in dismay.

"Still, flowers don't hurt. Look." He pointed to the flower shop across the street. "That flower shop is one of the best in Earth Country!" He smiled. "Maybe you should get her some? You know her favorite kind or something." He winked at the boy, and Naruto forced a smile.

"So you think I should get her some, eh old man?" Naruto asked to clarify.

"It can't hurt. Hey, she might even like you for real, boy." He gave a heartfelt smile, and Naruto smiled a genuine one in return.

"Thanks a lot old man!" Naruto waved a goodbye and ran across the street towards the flower shop, only he stopped halfway. "I feel better now, so I'm going to finish that ramen." The man couldn't help but laugh, but then be astounded by how fast he ate it. He practically swallowed it all at once to not let go of his momentum.

.

"Good day sir! How may I be of service to you today?" she politely asked with joy. She even had a serene smile that light up the room. Naruto smiled back, happy to see such a kind person being so welcoming.

"Well, I was wondering if you happened to have tulips. Not just regular tulips, those orange spotted ones only found in this country!"

"My apologies, but I just sold our last dozen of our special tulips." She held a distraught face as well as Naruto who was bummed out.

"Oh, it's ok. Hey, do you know the closest place I can find some of those tulips?" he asked.

"Well, there are no other flower shops around, sorry." She held a melancholy expression as Naruto sulked once again until he thought of something.

"Wait as second. The flowers are all over this country, right? Is there any specific place I can just pick them?" Naruto asked.

_"Who doesn't love handpicked flowers anyways? Maybe it might make things easier,"_ Naruto believed, smiling a little. The lady thought for a moment.

"Let's see. Well, there is this one place I know of," she thought aloud.

"Where, where?" he asked, feeling hopeful.

"Yeah, there's a spot where the flowers bloom around this time of year and such. Right outside the village actually. However, it's near this mountain, inside this cave. They're really rare because they only bloom if the cracks between the sun hit just right. It's quite dangerous actually. The cave could collapse anytime, because of the many cracks between. I wouldn't suggest that you go there-"

"Thank you!" Naruto yelled as he ran out.

"Wait! You didn't let me…finish." She sighed, wondering if all boys were like this: to hyper to let someone finish a sentence.

.

Sakura kept her face planted to her pillow at the thought of today's events.

"Why did I even suggest it? It can't be because I…" She sighed, unable to understand.

_"Just admit it; you've fallen for the idiot."_ Inner Sakura sighed. _"Why'd he have to do that? We were so close!" _she moped.

_"Have I really…?"_

_"Go after him is what I say. What are you doing? You shouldn't be sulking around, you should go after him!"_

"I…don't know," she whispered to herself.

_"What do you mean you don't know? We're going to lose him. Are you okay with that happening?"_

_"No, okay?"_

_"Then what are you waiting for? Go after him!"_ Sakura grabbed her pillow and screamed into it. She actually began to cry as well. Things were just too stressful at the moment.

"What's wrong with me? Why can't I…?" But he completely rejected her kiss. It could mean he didn't even like her to begin with, right? She would just be making a complete and utter fool of herself if she did admit her feelings and he doesn't reciprocate them.

_Knock, knock, knock…_

"I'm not feeling well right now. Can you come back later?" she called out to whoever it was. She didn't care who it was, but she didn't want to see nor talk to anyone at the moment.

"This is important. It's about Naruto." The voice of Kakashi eased her mind. The only thing that had her walking towards the door was hearing Naruto's name.

"What do you want Kakashi-sensei?" she asked. She tried to hide the fact that she had been crying, but she couldn't fool Kakashi. Even though she probably couldn't fool a child with the way she tried to hide it. Her voice was still a little raspy, and her cheeks were red, with puffy, reddish sclera.

"I just wanted to know how you were feeling. You and Naruto had a few problems today?"

"So he told you?" she sniffled.

"Pretty much. I just wanted to check up on you and see if you're okay. He's been a little down it seems. He's worried that you'd stop feeling the way you did, or actually, stop acting the way you did, right?" Kakashi smiled. Sakura gave a melancholy smile just now realizing his situation, and the way he must be feeling.

"I didn't even stop to think how he might feel." She gave a halfhearted smile towards Kakashi.

"I know you care for him, Sakura. I see the difference in you as well. It… didn't seem like an act to me." Kakashi smiled. Sakura stood speechless. "I won't try and force you into seeing what I see, because I believe you already see it yourself. However, if you don't want to let him go, I suggest you stop moping around, feeling sorry for yourself, and go tell him how you truly feel. You never know. Ironic actually, after all this time of you being the one to turn him down, he might be the one to break your heart." Kakashi smiled, walking off. Sakura closed her door and contemplated.

_"Kakashi-sensei… he's right. I can't be a coward anymore. I have to tell him before it is too late."_

_"Hmpf, you listen to him and not to me? I just said that to you! In fact, I've been saying that the entire time!"_ Inner Sakura raged while Sakura outwardly gave small chuckles at her antics.

_"Quiet you! I need to go find him before it is too late!"_ Sakura opened her door and speeded out of the castle. Though she came to a realization now, what she didn't realize was that the three eerie chakra signals of the grass ninja have returned. However, this time, they were prepared. This time, they wouldn't underestimate them, and this time, they will make sure they all pay.


	6. Unwanted Guest: I'll Always Be There

_Count:_ 2032

.

**Chapter Six**

_**Unwanted Guest: I'll Always Be There**_

.

Sakura grumbled, _"I wonder where Naruto could have gone."_ She had searched all over the village.

"Okay Sakura, think, think. Where would he have gone? Think like Naruto, think like Naruto." It was only then that she could have smelt it. The aroma of ramen! She had to admit it smelled delicious. "Damn it! I'm thinking like Naruto too much." She face palmed, a bit freaked out by that fact.

_"We don't have time for this,"_ Inner Sakura reminded her.

"Right!" Sakura ran up to the shop, hoping she'd spot the boy.

"Just great, he's not here." Sakura sighed, thinking where else he might be. She already searched almost everywhere else, so then where? She sat down, resting her tired, worn out legs and feet.

"Hello there little missy, what can I get for you?" the man asked politely. Sakura looked up towards the old man, a bit stunned. She'd been so used to the silence that the old man's voice shook her out of her thoughts.

"I just wanted to ask if you've seen a blonde boy. He's tan, has blue eyes, and is about this high," Sakura began as she gave an estimate of his height, just slightly below her own. "Oh yeah, and he wears an orange jumpsuit," Sakura mentioned. She waited as the old man pondered. His wrinkled face brightened when he thought of today and that kid.

"As a matter of fact, I did." Sakura's face brightened up.

"Great! Do you happen to know where he went?" she asked.

"As I recall, he was going to get some flowers," the man recalled. To this, Sakura seemed puzzled at the thought.

"_Flowers? Why on Earth would he want to get flowers?"_ It seemed a bit odd, but she didn't question the thought, since she just wanted to find him as soon as possible. She nodded to the ramen man, thanked him, and looked for a flower shop. It was an easy task, for she saw one just across the street. She wasn't hesitant to go in, and noticed a beautiful young women standing before her.

"Hello ma'am, what may I do for you today?" Her cheerful energy made Sakura feel a little more relaxed than before, when she felt panic-stricken to find the blond haired boy before. Sakura took a deep breath.

"Hello. I was just wondering if you've seen a blond haired boy wearing an orange jumpsuit. I heard that he may have passed by here." The lady nodded at her words.

"Why, yes, he did. Yeah, you can't really forget that boy. He said he'd do something really dangerous…just for some handpicked tulips. The orange spotted ones only found in our country. I have to admit, he's such a risk taker. Gosh, I hope he's alright," she thought aloud, recalling today's events.

"Dangerous? Naruto…please… just don't do anything stupid." She looked over to the lady. "Excuse me, but what exactly was the dangerous thing he said he'd do?" she asked.

"Well, he's willing to go up a very dangerous mountain inside a cave. It's quite treacherous. Not just the landscape of it all, but there could be different types of carnivores or poisonous creatures lurking the cave where the flowers are at. I told him he shouldn't, but he just ran off. Uh, men," the woman sighed, shaking her head in disproval.

"Where is this cave exactly?" she asked.

"One second," the lady told her as she rummaged through her desk in search for a picture. "Ah, here it is." She brought the photo up to view.

"It's just outside the village, but… I hope you aren't thinking of following your friend there." She frowned. "Like I said, it's very dangerous."

"I…kind of have to." Sakura gave a sincere grin, turning to leave.

"That boy… are you two…together?" she asked, putting the pieces together. They certainly didn't resemble siblings, so there was only one other explanations.

"You know, I was wondering the same thing. Maybe." She gave a light hearted smile, giving a wave and a 'bye.' She ran off towards the entrance of the village, excited to know where he was. Although, she was frightened for his wellbeing as well. She had good reason to be.

"_That idiot, always getting himself in trouble."_ However, she didn't sense that the two were in danger, too scared for Naruto. Sure enough, Takeshi was following the rosette.

.

Both Kakashi and Sasuke decided a little bit of training would do them good. As the two descended the stairs, they heard a ruckus. It came from the front of the castle. Sasuke and Kakashi quickened there pace, when… **BOOM!** Sasuke defended himself from the smoke and debris, while Kakashi was able to avoid it all together. Sasuke's lungs filled with smoke. He coughed, lack of oxygen taking its affect. He was blinded by the smoke as well. As the smoke cleared, both Sasuke and Kakashi saw a figure standing on the stairs.

"Shun Souta, so you came, back eh?" Kakashi prepared himself.

"Hatake Kakashi. The last time, I underestimated all of your brats and let my guard down. This time, my mistakes won't repeat." He smirked as he stood.

"Sasuke," Kakashi whispered to him. "Go find the prince. He may be in grave danger. There are still two other grass ninjas that were with him." Sasuke smirked.

"I'll finish them off no sweat." Laughter was heard all through the castle. Souta's cackles filled the tense air.

"Oh? And now you're the ones underestimating us? And from a little brat like you? Ha! Don't make me laugh."

"Hmph, it's funny. You said you wouldn't make the same mistake again and yet you say that. Listen, don't underestimate this _brat_. In fact, don't underestimate any of my students. They're stronger than they appear to be," Kakashi reminded.

"We'll see about that."

"Maybe I should make you swallow those words." Sasuke scowled at the man before him.

"No, Sasuke. Do what I told you. The prince – you need to make sure the prince is safe." The Uchiha scoffed, but followed orders anyways. Kakashi watched his disappearing figure and then turned to Souta. "Now, let's have some fun." He gave a smile through his mask, deciding to finally unmask his sharingan eye.

.

Sasuke ran, his sandals smacking against the linoleum floor. He wasn't planning on failing this mission. Not this mission, not any mission. He was going to protect the prince. However, he got sidetracked, wondering where his teammates would be at a time like this. There was only one person there, so the other two must be somewhere. The thought of his teammates kept running through his mind. Sheer worry streamed through his being. He wanted to focus on the goal, but couldn't help but think that his two teammates might be endangered. With his mind preoccupied, he hadn't seen it. He hadn't sensed a kunai heading towards him. His eyes widened once he saw the kunai embedded in the wall. He turned to see a young woman with long, silky black hair. Her eyes were flaming red, and she held a smirked that would be worn by a sinister lion.

"Why hello there, little boy." Sasuke grimaced at her words, scoffing.

"The names Uchiha, Sasuke." He watched her closely. Her eyes widened a bit.

_"An Uchiha."_ She ended up giving a small chuckle.

"I see. And I am Aina, Sayuri. So you say you're an Uchiha, eh? We'll see how strong you really are." Sayuri crossed her arms, waiting.

"If you really want to find out then…" he smirked, ready for whatever she brought.

.

Sakura was very frustrated. Frustrated with everything. She was frustrated with the prince, with the mission, with her feelings, with Naruto's antics, and worst of all, frustrated with the damn rocky mountain. It was bad enough her stamina wasn't particularly great, but the fact that climbing this mountain alone used up a crap load of chakra. It was pretty easy for her to be able to concentrate her chakra to the soles of her feet. The problem was maintaining it. She nearly slipped 5 times, but she was still strong. She knew she could handle something like this. She just had to keep on going. _I have to find him… _She was determined.

As she made it past the last rock, she laid flat on her back, wheezing. "_I did it!"_ As she caught her breath, she turned to her stomach to stand back up. She did just that and walked inside the dark cave. Sakura was frightened. Bugs could be anywhere, and she did _not_ like bugs, especially spiders. She staggered slowly, trying not to make a sound, for something might wake up. Something that could be big, with claws, or insidious fangs.

"Get a grip Sakura," she told herself, taking a breath to try and ease herself. She continued to confidently walk, ready to face whatever challenges came up. As she walked in deeper, she noticed a source of light coming from the open space at the top of the cave. Her eyes widened in wonderment.

It was a meadow.

So many flowers… and there he was, surrounded by flowers of all kinds. His expression seemed so serene, calm, and just… peaceful. That scene was so beautiful in her eyes. _He_ was beautiful. She didn't want to ruin his cheerful self by doing anything. She just wanted to watch him – just watch. It had been passed a minute until Naruto finally gazed up to see her.

She smiled –her soft, passive smile. Damn, the way the light hit her…her hair seemed extra silky. Her emerald eyes sparkled even more, as if each were both jewels that shone brightly. The flowers surrounding her made it feel like one of his dreams he always had of her, only the real thing was, by far, better, he decided. She may have had a lot of dirt marks, cuts, and bruises all over, but that didn't matter. It was her, and she was gorgeous in his eyes.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto beamed.

"Naruto." She walked towards him while Naruto stood up. Oh yes, this was like one of his dreams alright. They'd be at some sort of park where flowers surrounded them. Then she'd run up to him and give him a warm embrace, whispering sweet things in his ear, while he whispered them back. Then the two would-

_**Bonk!**_ She didn't know what else to do. It was out of habit, perhaps?

"Oh, you idiot. What were you thinking?" Sakura asked, worried. She examined his body, making sure nothing bad happened to him.

"Neh, Sakura-chan, I'm fine," he laughed, scratching the back of his head.

"No, you aren't. What's that?" she asked. Three deep gashes to his arm. Sakura looked closer, trying to see while Naruto squirmed. "Naruto, let me see it."

"Ah, Sakura-chan, don't touch it. It still stings a little. Neh, what are you even doing here anyways, Sakura-chan?" he asked, still squirming from her touch.

"I came looking for you of course!"

"But, why?" She stopped what she was doing and stared at the ground. She bit her lip and gulped.

"Listen, we need to talk…about today," Sakura started. She sighed. _It's either now or never._

"Neh, Sakura-chan, don't worry about it. We didn't need to prove anything to that bastard! Hehe. It's okay, Sakura-chan. I understand. That's why…I told Kakashi that we'd show him that we'd just go back to being teammates again, but don't worry, we'll find another way. No way will that bastard have you!"

"_Teammates? Not even saying friend?_" She sighed, "_No, Naruto."_

"Naruto, you don't understand, I-" but she was interrupted.

"Hmph, look at what I found here. Hehehe. You two – you both hurt my teammate. I don't like it when someone tries to hurt any of my teammates. You may have been able to defeat Sayuri, but you won't have a chance against me. I'll make the both of you pay." Takeshi smirked. Naruto walked passed Sakura, clenching his hands and gritted his teeth.

"You think you can defeat me so easily? You better not underestimate me!"

"Well then?"

"Bring it!" With a kunai in his hand, Naruto charged.


	7. My Disadvantage: A Genjutsu?

_Count:_ 1906

.

**Chapter Seven**

_**My Disadvantage: a Genjutsu?**_

.

The air held an arcane atmosphere. It was profound how it felt with both Kakashi and Souta piercing right through each other with their eyes that seemed to show the spark and killing intent of daggers. Kakashi waited for Souta to make his move, when he grabbed a kunai from his pouch, about to block the man from coming any further. However, what Kakashi didn't expect was for gas to fill the air, and soon he couldn't see a thing. Abrupt coughing was heard, his voice becoming hoarse and jagged as time flew by.

He couldn't see anything, even with his sharingan. He had to admit, this was a great strategy to stop him from using his sharingan. It almost felt like Zabuza's thick mist, only deadly.

"Kukuku, if you think you're in hell now, wait till I finish you off." His cackling didn't distract Kakashi one bit. Souta had taken away two of his senses: sight and smell, but he could still hear – he could still react. Though, it was hard when one can only breathe, at the most, was two minutes when thirty-two seconds already passed.

_"One minute and twenty six seconds left…"_ he thought, knowing that during these last minutes, he'll surely get slower, weaker for the need of air. His thoughts turned to his students, hoping they were safe.

_"I don't have time to think of them. I need to finish this guy off now."_ No more time was wasted, and he fought, knowing this may be his last minute and ten seconds of his life.

.

Sasuke analyzed the situation carefully; the whole area was still pervaded with an eerie atmosphere throughout the opaque air. Sayuri wasn't going to make the first move, he realized. He needed to attack soon and quick. He had a mission: to protect the prince. If he lost to her, then he'd fail. Uchiha Sasuke was no failure. He looked over to the woman when he noticed she was making hand signs. Soon, something started sprouting from the ground.

"You're becoming a real bore you know," she said with a chuckle echoing throughout the room.

_"A plant? No, not just any plant. It turned into some type of a sword-like plant," _he thought, getting out a kunai.

"So…let's have some fun together." She smirked. "Fight me, or are you just going to stand there like a useless coward with that kunai?" she asked. Sasuke clenched his fist. This lady was really pissing him off. Sasuke, a coward? What a blatant lie.

"Why you-"he ran towards her, prepared to fight. As he ran closer for close combat, her face was smirking in anticipation and knowing. When he was merely a few inches away, she swung her sword towards the boy, and he blocked the blow with his weapon. He glanced at her, seeing her chuckling face in amusement. He glanced back down and saw the sword of vines wrap itself around Sasuke's kunai... to his hand... all the way up his elbow.

"You're…pretty pathetic," she denounced. All she could hear was desperate struggling. Sasuke's eyes grew sharper with killing intent, ready to strangle this woman; his hands around her long neck, squeezing, tighter, and tighter…

…the only thing that began getting tighter were the vines slithering around his arm like a snake. They were constricting, causing him to shout – shout at the agonizing pain that pulsed through him. He kept yelling. This woman didn't show any mercy. He couldn't tell how long it was, but he saw his fingers turning blue from the lack of blood circulation. His entire right arm felt numb, and his entire body shook. She cackled.

"If you think this is pain, just think when my plants surround your entire body, squeezing the life out of you." Sayuri's malicious laughs filled the air. She licked her lips when she saw him squirming to get free, only to continue to be constricted by the vines racing towards him, like a python, slowly but surely constricting him. His eyes widened as he felt the vines crawl their way up his neck like long hands ready to strangle; they were surrounding every inch of his body. Slowly – slowly it started to tighten every few seconds. He… he couldn't breath. He was about to pass out right then and there, but – could it really end like this?

"Kid, you weren't really amusing at all. And to think, I'm not even done with you yet." She laughed. His eyes widened.

_"Damn it, I can't lose like this," _he thought. His eyes squeezed together at the unbearable pain.

.

Naruto was charging at the man who just stood there. Naruto made a familiar hand sign and yelled "Kage bunshin no jutsu." Three kage bunshins appeared. Each went a separate way while the real Naruto went head on. One bunshin came from above, giving a barrage of punches while Takeshi evaded them. Another bunshin came from the side, ready to kick him in the face, when he bent backwards, evading the attack once again.

"I had it!" he yelled, finally having enough time to punch both before they had time to try and hit him again. He didn't notice where the real Naruto went since he was too busy with the clones. As he panted, he couldn't help but cackle.

"Was this what beat Sayuri? If so, then she doesn't deserve to call herself a real ninja. Pathetic." He continued to laugh. "Get ready."

"You're the one who's going to need to get ready. Here I go!" Throughout the small battle between Takeshi and the bunshins, the real Naruto and another of his bunshins were getting his main technique.

_"Whoa; that's rasengan, isn't it? Amazing, I have never seen him use this technique before. When did you learn that Naruto?"_ Sakura thought in wonder.

Naruto charged at him with everything he got, but Takeshi just made hand sign and a flash of light – smoke exploded everywhere in the proximity and straight into Naruto's lungs. Naruto began coughing.

_"Did it work?"_ he thought as he closed his eyes from the smoke and debris. When he opened his eyes again, he noticed he wasn't where he was before. He rubbed his eyes, looking around. "Where am I?"he asked himself.

"Eh? Naruto, what are you doing just standing there staring into space like an idiot?" an angry Sakura asked in irritation. "Baka…" She face palmed.

"Hurry up or we'll leave without you, dobe," Sasuke said. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi turned away, leaving him behind.

"What's going on?" he asked, but once he saw his team's backs fading in the distance, he followed them.

"Hey! Wait up you guys!"

.

"Naruto…" She looked at the sleeping blonde boy from a distance.

"Now it's time to end this, you brat," Takeshi said as he threw grass needles towards the sleeping blond.

_"Oh no, I need to get to him quick, before he…"_ She ran towards Naruto grabbing, a kunai and evading the attacks.

"Nice try, but I won't let you hurt him."

"So, girly wants to fight as well? Let's see if you have any skills."

"Why you…" Sakura grabbed shuriken and threw them at him. This gave her time to charge at him and try and land a blow.

_"If I can just hit him at least once..."_ As she kept throwing punches, he kept dodging them._ "There has to be a way to get him to lose his concentration. He keeps dodging my attacks,"_ she though. Sakura jumped away from him and kept her distance. _"If I try and release the genjutsu, it'll give him a chance to attack. It looks like I'm on my own now, but I used up most of my chakra getting up here… fantastic."_ Sakura nodded to herself. Takeshi threw more grass needles, making her dodge again, but she couldn't avoid one needle when it was at her blindside, grazing her right arm. She grasped her arm in agony.

"Oh, did I mention these needles have poison on them?" he rhetorically asked, cackling harder than ever.

_"This is my chance!"_ she thought and raced towards him when she finally punched him with her left arm instead, having him fly across the cave and going threw a rock. _"Finally, I got him. Now I can release-"_

The poison started to take its effect when she kneeled down at the throbbing pain.

.

"Finally you caught up," Kakashi said with a smile.

"Ugh, where are we going?" he asked.

"Idiot, did you forget already? We were just going to have a picnic. You were the one who suggested it, so I hope you remembered to bring your share," Sakura lectured with her hands on her hips.

"Right… what was I suppose to bring again?" he asked nervously, sheepishly chuckling.

"Unbelievable. Idiot, you were supposed to bring the drinks," she scolded. "Now we're all going to be thirsty."

"Oh… Sorry."

"Well, lucky for you I saw this coming and packed drinks." Sakura placed the drinks on a small plate, passing it in the middle for them to take. When Naruto was about to grab one, she slapped his hand away. "None for you, idiot. You don't get any as punishment." She smirked, sticking her tongue out in satisfaction.

Naruto wasn't paying attention all that much. He was really wondering how he got there in the first place. Everything changed. This time period was even when Sakura's pink locks were still long and she was as mean as ever. This wasn't where he was supposed to be. He was supposed to be kicking some grass ninja butt right now. He was supposed to be protecting the prince. His mission… he was on a mission. He was…with Sakura – Sakura?

"That's right, I was with Sakura-chan when that guy came. We fought, but what happened after? He was… he was making hand signs when he attacked. Did he put me in a genjutsu or something? That has to be it. But that means Sakura-chan is in trouble." Naruto stood up, putting his hands together.

"Baka Naruto, what do you think you're doing? Sit down idiot!" Sakura demanded.

_"I need to get out of this genjutsu,"_ he thought, gathering his chakra and trying to break the genjutsu. After a while, he saw a flash of light, and everything turned dark. As he began opening his eyes, everything was becoming clearer. He sat up, looking around. He noticed Sakura crouched down, holding on to her arm.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" he asked, crawling towards her.

"I-I'm fine. Wow, you got out of the genjutsu by yourself. I'm impressed." She smiled, still clutching on to her arm.

"Your arm." He noticed how her arm was cut.

"Just make sure to take him down. I'll be fine," she reassured him.

"Where's what's his face?" he asked. She pointed to the pile of rocks. The pile of rocks began moving until Takeshi crawled out.

"I let my guard down, but I'll take you down, girly." Sakura glared at the man, trying to stand up, when the pain in her arm began to sting. She nearly fell when Naruto caught her.

"Don't worry about a thing, Sakura-chan. You did a really great job while I was out, but I'll take it from here." She nodded, collapsing right there.

_"Sakura-chan's out cold,"_ he thought, looking back at her. He then turned towards Takeshi.

"It's time to end this," Naruto declared.


	8. Aftermath: An Undetected Toxin

_Count: _2463

.

**Chapter Eight**

_**Aftermath: An Undetected Toxin**_

.

Kakashi knew he was in big trouble. He knew there was a high probability that he would in fact, die. He knew this, but he'd never let his enemy see it or feel it from him.

"You have nowhere to go anymore, Kakashi," Souta said. He thought and he thought, desperate for a jutsu that might get him out of this mess. He needed a nice strategy, and like that, he thought of it, knowing he had little time. After a few seconds, something just clicked in his head. The memory of their team's first try to retrieve the bells came to his mind. In particularly, the jutsu he used on Sasuke. He smirked when he thought how Souta's jutsu would lead to his own demise.

Souta's analyzed all his surroundings, trying to locate Hatake Kakashi. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it, where could he have gone?" he whispered to himself. This couldn't be good. His eyes widened when he noticed something erupt from the ground.

"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu," and that's when he was pulled to the ground, his head being the only thing visible. "That should keep you there for some time now."

"I'll kill you," he threatened with gritted teeth.

"On the contrary, you'll be dead before you even find a way of escaping. I already knew, your poison would lead to your demise." Kakashi grinned; he made sure Souta was the one to take in the poison gas. Kakashi ran as quickly as possible to get out of the quarantined area before he had a chance to take in the smell. Kakashi smirked, he'd finished this battle in record time; he wasn't getting as old as he thought he was.

.

Sayuri's smirk slithered to her face."Do you know without oxygen in the blood, your tissue can die in a matter of minutes, and you can even loose limbs and not even feel it? You should thank me, if I choose to decide that. No, you shouldn't be worried of that; you should be worried about your head…" She didn't even think Sasuke could even hear her.

"You see, with your head, I can either decide to crush your neck, giving a spinal cord injury, and you'll die with your heart and lungs unable to function. Or I can do it slowly, and let you die from depletion of oxygen if you'd like. I just might even let you decide." She grinned, staring up at muffled groans of pain.

Sasuke had closed his eyes in concentration. He was concentrating on his chakra. Sasuke needed to stay calm and rational. He needed to find a way to get chakra through his limbs. It was the only way to survive this suffocating jutsu. If he could release chakra and out through his hands, he just might be able to break through the vines. He still had some feeling in his arms, trying to grab on to a vine as tight as he could.

Sasuke's eyes widened when he felt the vines loosen a bit. He stared through the small holes the vines made, that she was panting. He smirked.

_"This jutsu must take up a lot of chakra."_ He realized the vines loosened. He had to make his move quick before she realized herself and decided to kill him off quickly. He held random pieces of vine in his hand. Even with the vines binding him, it was easy to find a piece of it since it surrounded him. He did his best to focus chakra out no matter what. He realized his training with climbing trees involved the same thing; he had to release a certain amount of chakra to his feet. He also realized he had to do it in a way where she wouldn't notice his hands were free. _"That might be easy, since the vines are so thick that this might come across as unnoticeable." _He needed perfect chakra control to make sure his chakra released is strong enough to free his hands, but not strong enough to get her to notice. He closed his eyes in concentration. _"Come on, this has to work,"_ he thought. His eyes widened, breaking as many vines with chakra as possible. He stopped when his hands were free.

Sasuke smirked when he noticed her beginning to do hand seals. She was going to end this, wasn't she? Sasuke wasn't going to give her the chance. Before anything, he pulled all the strength he had forming hand signs.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu," he thought. Sasuke inhaled air in his mouth, gathered up chakra in his chest, and then spewed a large fireball from his mouth.

Sayuri felt confident until she saw fire burning away at her vines. She covered her body to not get any degree of burns. She stared up and noticed Sasuke standing confidently in front of her with a smirk on his face. She smirked as well.

"A formidable opponent you are, Uchiha. You were able to get away from my vines. I'm impressed," she complemented. "But-" She gave a sneer when she saw him fall. "Getting away from them does come with a price. Does it feel like pins and needles?" she laughed.

_"Damn it,"_ he thought.

"You're useless right now, Uchiha. I'm in control. You destroyed my sword, and for that you'll pay." Her sword of vines rejuvenated when she placed it near the sun, and it was as good as new. Sasuke's eyes widened. "Surprised? Don't be. Ever heard of photosynthesis? That's why my plants are so strong. You see, my plants use the sun to convert to energy. My plants only need light energy." She smiled. It transformed into the shape of a sharp spear. She pointed it towards him. "I want to kill you quickly," she said, running towards him. "Now die!"

Sasuke watched as she made her way towards him. He smiled, pulling out a kunai, and throwing it her way. She dodged it of course, but the few extra seconds was all he needed. He formed a chidori, and ran towards her. He jumped, hitting right on her abdomen region. She gasped, getting the air knocked out of her.

"Damn you," she barely gasped out, clutching onto her stomach. She could tell he had broken one of her ribs. He turned away, heading towards Kakashi.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, but Kakashi could tell that his stumbling said otherwise. He made sure Sasuke leaned on him before he had a chance to fall.

"She must have gotten you good." Kakashi laughed a bit, making Sasuke glare his way.

"Yeah, you don't look too good either."

"Well, you wait here while I find Naruto and Sakura. The third member of their team isn't here, so he must have been targeting them. I'll find them," Kakashi said, making Sasuke scowled in discontent.

"No thanks. Besides, the dobe will need all the help he can get," Sasuke explained.

"Right now, you'd be no help," Kakashi retorted. "You guard the prince while I go ahead. Incase they're able to somehow get free…or wake up." Sasuke sighed, but nodded either way.

"Whatever." Sasuke frowned. He limped to where the prince was. Kakashi puffed away, heading towards Naruto and Sakura.

.

Naruto and Takeshi stared each other down, when Takeshi smirked.

"Are you just going to waste time staring at me?" He had known the girl was hit by the poison. He knew the poison would kill her in a matter of 48 hours, and she had already started showing signs that it was going through her systems, infecting her. No immune system could stop this poison, especially since it was so quick to take effect.

"I'll definitely kick your ass for what you did to Sakura-chan," Naruto called, clenching his fist. He grabbed shuriken from his pouch, and quickly threw them as a diversion, and then ran towards him from the side. He then jumped up towards the top of the cave, and tried to make a more powerful Naruto rendan with the forces of gravity on his side.

Takeshi was able to block his technique, and sent him in the other direction. Naruto flipped as to not get any damage, making sure he landed on his feet. He gritted his teeth.

"He never got to feel the power of my rasengan, did he?" Naruto smirked, already preparing a strategy.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto called, making six shadow clones. They all ran in pairs, in the opposite direction of where Takeshi was standing. "You're about to feel a triple rasengan!" Naruto called grinning. Takeshi's eyes widened.

_"But aren't they all just clones?"_ he thought, gritting his teeth. He grabbed six kunai. "Damn, I'll just have to see which one is the real one, and make sure I don't get hit by that." He quickly threw each one. Though the real Naruto dodged the kunai and made his way towards Takeshi. Takeshi made sure he dodged it. Naruto instead blasted a rock to pieces. He had fallen into a pile of rocks.

_"Damn it,"_ Naruto thought gritting his teeth in anger. Takeshi smirked at the boy on his knees.

"I have to admit, that was close, but you weren't able to touch me since you aren't quick enough."

"You don't think I'm quick enough?" Naruto called, anger rising. "Then watch this! Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto yelled, making only one clone, and then threw a kunai.

"What the hell? You can't even aim right. What type of ninja are you?" He laughed, seeing how badly he missed.

"Maybe if I was aiming at you." He smirked, and then the paper bomb exploded, forcing Takeshi to fall forward, but Naruto didn't give him a chance to try and escape the falling rocks, for he quickly used his shadow clone to form another rasengan. He made his way towards him, and hit him right in the abdomen. He was sent backwards, his back hitting the fallen rocks. Naruto panted, but saw how the rocks from all around the cave began tumbling down. He noticed how this cave just might collapse.

_"Damn it,"_ he thought, running towards Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, we have to get out of here," he called, trying to shake her awake. She didn't move, but she groaned in agony.

"It…hurts," she whimpered out, unable to say anything more. Naruto quickly put her on his back, and ran out as quickly as possible. When he was sure they'd be safe, he looked back and saw the cave had caved in. He looked in the opposite direction, and noticed a faint figure making his way towards them. Naruto grinned at the realization that it was Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called.

"Naruto, are you and Sakura alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, but Sakura-chan doesn't look too good." He frowned, staring back at Sakura's now pale face.

"You're right." Kakashi said. "We better get back to the castle to see exactly what's wrong." Naruto nodded, making their way towards the castle.

.

**Deleted Scene**

_**The Real Way Sasuke Beat Sayuri**_

.

Sasuke was entangled in vines, desperately thinking of a way to free himself.

_"Damnit! I can't take this anymore! How in the hell am I supposed to get out of this? There has to be some way! But how?" _he asked himself, trying to think of a solution before she inserted more chakra into the vines once more. That's when he thought of something. _"I could use the chidori without making hand seals and then... no, that won't work because I can't even move my hands. Damn! If only I could release chakra from all my chakra points like Neji, then I could get out of this no sweat!" _That's when he thought of something he had never done before. _"What if I use the chidori, but instead of just my hand, I could use my entire body?" _Sasuke thought to himself." _It's worth a shot."_

"Now that you had a little taste of what I could do, I want to stop playing and take your life!" Sayuri yelled as she grabbed her vines that transformed into a sword. She smirked, but what she didn't realize was that Sasuke as well had a smirk on his face.

"That's what you think," he yelled back, laughing maliciously at her.

_"What the hell is he-" _She froze when she felt the chakra that was coming from the boy. She saw his entire body become almost lightning like. The chidori had worked! However, this was no ordinary chidori, for it was coming from his entire body. Sayuri was in awe when he was cutting through the vines. She then cackled.

"If you think I'll let you go away that easily then you're wrong!" Sayuri yelled and applied chakra to the vines. Sasuke was doing well until she applied more chakra.

_"No! I will not lose! I'm going to finish this! I will not let her defeat me!"_ he thought to himself as the chidori surrounding his body became bigger… and so Sasuke continued to fight until his chakra grew so wide that – boom – it exploded.

Everything in the castle was in ruins from the explosion. When Kakashi felt the chidori, he made sure everyone left the building. That was when the castle turned to ruin.

"No! What the hell happened to my beautiful castle!" Rikuto screamed out with tears.

"I need to look for my student," Kakashi said and went into the wreck. "Sasuke! Sasuke? Where the hell are you?" he called out. That's when he saw an arm reach out."Sasuke!" Kakashi yelled and ran towards the boy and pulled him out. Kakashi couldn't help but snicker.

"What the hell are you laughing about? We both almost get killed and you're laughing?" Sasuke asked, astonished by his sensei acting so odd. It was starting to piss him off. At this point, Kakashi was laughing his ass off.

"Sasuke, I was just wondering, did you use the chidori on your entire body?" Kakashi asked, still laughing.

"Yeah, I finally mastered the chidori!" Sasuke said with pride. Kakashi was laughing so hard that his stomach was hurting.

"That's great, but you forgot that the chidori destroys everything, including…" Kakashi couldn't continue, for he fell to the ground laughing. Sasuke, you could say, got the hint and looked down to see all his clothes were gone! Yes, that's right, the great Uchiha was exposed. He blushed furiously and covered anything that needed to be and hid in a corner.

That only made Kakashi laugh more, if that was possible and said, "Damn, if only Naruto was here! He would be freaking pissing in his pants at this!" Kakashi exclaimed, clearly entertained.

Uchiha Sasuke, however, was not amused.


	9. Kakashi's Mission: All the Little Things

_Count: 1775_

.

**Chapter Nine**

_**Kakashi's Solo Mission: All the Little Things**_

.

"I'm never going to tell the likes of you Kakashi." Souta shouted in anger. Kakashi was glad the poison air hadn't finished him off. He should have known he would be immune to his own poison. Naruto's temper rose, grabbing his collar to bring him closer to his face.

"How about I make you," Naruto was about to say, when Kakashi pushed him aside.

"Naruto, let me handle this." Kakashi interrupted, trying to hold him back before he tried to give him a beat down. "Listen, let me make this clear. We need to know the antidote, and you're that ninja's partners, so either tell us what it is and where to get it, or face the consequences." Kakashi's demeanor turned sinister, making Naruto stare in surprise and fear. They had made sure he was tied up good so Sayuri or Souta would not escape, not without figuring out an antidote. Once they had realized what was wrong with Sakura, they had known that the one who poisoned her was already dead from the force of the rocks. Souta smirked.

"You may have won the battle, but that doesn't mean you have won the war." Souta began to laugh maniacally. Kakashi dropped him to the floor, sighing in defeat. "You wouldn't say anything no matter what I did, right?" Kakashi placed his hands on his hips, walking over to the other room where Sayuri laid unconscious. He began to shake her awake. "Wake up you; I'll need your help." Kakashi smiled, resulting in the girl making a face in disgust. She tried moving, but was tied where she couldn't move her entire body, let alone use her hands for anything.

"Your friend made a poison, Takeshi was his name was, right?" Kakashi asked.

"That's correct," she said in between breaths.

"Can you tell me what it is, or where I can find it?"

"You can find it up your-"

"Woah, there's no need for language like that." Kakashi sighed once again. Things weren't going too well. Well, now he had no other choice, but to finally use his sharingan.

.

"That was pretty awesome, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto smirked. "So now that we know everything we need, we should go get the ingredients!" Naruto said, hopeful.

"Actually, Naruto, I was thinking of going on my own," Kakashi told him, not making Naruto happy at the thought.

"But I want to help Sakura-chan!" Naruto called, anger starting to rise.

"Naruto, take it easy. It will be easier and faster if I go alone. Besides, you'd want to watch Sakura, wouldn't you?" Kakashi smiled, ruffling his hair. Naruto still wasn't satisfied, but Kakashi did have a point. He wanted to be there for Sakura if anything were to happen to her. He looked down, then looked up seeing Kakashi run off. Sasuke came up behind him.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine." Sasuke sighed, trying his best to comfort his friend, as well as Sasuke could…

Naruto stared at the girl in front of him. He wanted more than anything for her to get better. He didn't like how he saw how much pain she was in, and yet he couldn't do a single thing to help ease it.

"Sakura-chan," he whispered, wishing she'd hear him. Sasuke walked in with cups of hot cocoa in his hand. He reached his hand out so Naruto would take a cup, but Naruto shook his head no.

"I'm not thirsty right now."

"You haven't eaten either." Sasuke sighed, not knowing what else to do. "I checked up on those ninja back there. We'll have to take them to the Leaf apparently." Sasuke tried to say, sitting down near the window.

"When do you think Kakashi-sensei will be back?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know, but it has only been one hour. He'll be back soon."

"But that ninja before said it will only take 48 hours before she… dies," Naruto whispered, his voice becoming hoarser. Sasuke sighed, making Naruto glare. "How could you be so calm about this?"

"She's not going to die, idiot. She'll be fine, don't worry. Besides, Kakashi will be fine, he's a jounin after all." Just then, Prince Rikuto walked in talking to his servants.

"Make sure to send the messages quick! I want the top medics here pronto!" he yelled.

"The top medic _anywhere_ is Tsunade-sama, but she's in Konoha, so by the time she'd even receive the message, it'll be too late." Naruto frowned. Even Rikuto was doing all he could do to help, and he was just sitting there. Naruto clenched the chair. He couldn't just sit there; he had to do something for Sakura-chan. He stood up, ready to try and help Kakashi find the ingredients to the antidote.

"What are you doing, dobe?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm going to help Kakashi!" Naruto called, "I'm tired of doing absolutely nothing here, just waiting. I have to do something to help! I feel so useless right now," Naruto said, unable to handle these sensations of just sitting around doing nothing for his precious person.

"You dobe, stop trying to be the hero. You'd probably just get yourself into trouble again. You're not thinking rationally," Sasuke explained. "Not like you ever do though," he added, a small smirk placed on his face. Rikuto walked in, going towards Sakura's bedside.

"Sakura-hime, I know I can't do much right now, but I'm doing the best I can! I hope it's enough, for now though, please, accept these flowers. This, I'm afraid, is all I can do for you right now," he declared, tears forming in his eyes. Naruto watched this scene attentively. He had to admit, it was...sweet. He supposed he was an okay guy. He thought, as long as he doesn't try anything funny. His eyes widened when he just held her hand, beginning to pray as he placed her hand to his forehead. Naruto was frozen in complete astonishment.

"Sakura-hime, get well soon," he said before hearing his servants call out his name. Once the door closed, Sasuke sighed.

"I'm surprised you didn't get angry at him for holding her hand," Sasuke said, staring out the window with a monochrome expression. "There's nothing much you can do anyways if you did go with Kakashi," Sasuke explained. Naruto stared at Sakura in deep thought. Without a word, he moved his chair closer to her bedside. He had sat down and grabbed her hand, hesitating a bit before doing so. He just held her hand, not sure what else to do or what else to say. Hopefully, he had thought, this could be enough…

.

Souta smirked at Sayuri. They were in this mess, but things weren't going downhill at all. A silhouette of a figure stood in front of them.

"I can't believe both my teammates are like this." Takeshi sighed.

"Idiot! Just untie us quickly before anyone hears you," Sayuri said.

"I don't know, I kind of like when you are all tied up." Takeshi smirked, making Sayuri's face turn into a disgusted expression.

"Shut the hell up. We'll be okay. You see, Kakashi is finally gone." Souta smirked. "Yes Kakashi, you may have won the battle, but you have not won the war."

"We'll make our move by dawn then." They all smirked. Now, it'll be easy picking to get the prince from them without Kakashi around. Things were looking good for them indeed.

.

**Bonus Scene**

_**This Isn't a Damn Fairy Tale!**_

.

Naruto watched patiently as Sakura was in the monitoring room. He hoped there was some way Kakashi could speed up his journey to help Sakura, since Sakura about to die didn't stand in good terms with him. He didn't notice when Sasuke appeared with a monotone expression, deadpanning at the fact Naruto was so silent and patient. No matter how nice it felt, that was not the Naruto he knew. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt bored without the hyperactive blond, or the talkative rosette for that matter.

"You know, in fairytales, if the girl is sleeping, the girl wakes up with a kiss," Sasuke spoke, wondering what he might do. He smirked at the blond's stiff yet astonished expression. Naruto's eyes widened with his mouth agape, unsure where to look, Sakura or Sasuke. He stared down at the soundless Sakura, wondering if it would be alright to do it even when she was sleeping.

_"It would save her, right? But… would it really work, and if I did and it didn't work, then what would happen to my face?"_ His eyes widened, pondering the outcome when Sakura did wake up, punching him in the face; a punch so hard, he'd be flying out the window. Naruto gulped, unsure what to do.

Sasuke deadpanned. _"Does he actually believe me?"_

_"Okay, I'll do it if it means Sakura-chan will get better,"_ Naruto thought, puckering his lips in a weird manner as his face heated. Sasuke's deadpan stayed, but his inner Sasuke was smirking, laughing quite hard at how his friend was so naive. Then again, maybe he was doing him a favor.

"Stop!" The prince lunged over to Sakura's unconscious body, trying to block Naruto's lips from hers. Naruto's anger rose.

"What the hell are you doing?" Naruto growled, clenching his fist.

"I'm the most fitting to kiss Sakura-hime!" Rikuto yelled, hugging Sakura even more.

"No way! And get the hell off of her!" Naruto pulled him aside before he tried anything he wouldn't like. "Besides, I should do it!"

"No! I'm the most fitting, I'm a prince! Haven't you heard that it only works if princes' kiss the girl of their dreams?" the prince said. Naruto's eyes widened, wondering if it was true. He wasn't a prince, but a ninja! It would work for ninjas too, right? He pondered, fiddling with his two index fingers. At this, Sasuke actually smirked.

"You two are foolish," Sasuke simply said, making them glare his way.

"Well, how do you even know about this kind of stuff? Unless, hehe, you watch those type of movies, right?" Naruto snickered, making Sasuke grit his teeth in anger. "What, you're forced to? Or is it you have a long lost sister that makes you watch those movies?"

"This isn't _that _kind of fanfic!"

"So I see Sasuke and Naruto are fighting over who will kiss Sakura, right? Who will then?" Rikuto asked aloud, eyeing the two.

"We're not fighting over Sakura dumbass!" Sasuke yelled.

"Oh, then I'll be the one to kiss her!" Rikuto yelled, puckering his lips.

"NO!" both Sasuke and Naruto yelled in anger. Naruto's anger rose, clenching his fist.

"This isn't a damn fairytale!"


End file.
